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THE FRIENDLY POETS 

And Some of Their Poems 

Frequently Required for Memory Work in the Schools 

With Introductory Material 
For Teacher and Pupil 



' ^ BY 

W.^H. MANDREY 

Supervisory State Board of Education, Conn. 

AND 

ANNA L. CURTIS 



HINDS, HAYDEN & ELDREDGE, Inc. 

NEW YORK PHILADELPHIA CHICAGO 



Copyright 192 i 

BY 

Hinds, Hayden & Eldredge, Inc. 



n^^"^ 






INTRODUCTORY NOTE 



Gathered together in this little book are a 
hundred or more of the poems most frequently 
used in primary and grammar grades for read- 
ing and memory-work. Part of these poems re- 
quire neither notes nor explanations. Others 
present serious problems to the conscientious 
teacher of literature in country places, where 
libraries may be small, or entirely lacking. She 
may vaguely recall historical, personal, or liter- 
ary associations which would add greatly to the 
interest and value of the poem in question, yet 
b(* unabh^ to find such material in the reference- 
books at her command. 

It is for th(^ help of such teachers and their 
pupils, and the pleasure of like-minded readers, 
that this book has been prepared. The intro- 
ductions to the po(^ms are intended as back- 
grounds or settings, giving, perhaps, the his- 
toi-ical foundation, or the circumstances under 
which a po(»m was written. In the case of 



'o.r 30 1921 
g)CI.A627148 



15 



INTRODUCTORY NOTE iii 



rt nature-poems, an extract from a Avell-known 

.^ writer on the wild life of wood and field may 

5 be used. Sometimes, a few w^ords of biography 

will illuminate a poem. 

The poet's aim is to communicate to others 
the emotion which impels him to write his poem. 
To the reader who shares this emotion, the poet 
can never more be a stranger. He is a friend, 
who expresses the thoughts and feelings of 
many, voiceless but for him. To be such a 
friend is his mission, such friendliness is his 
divine gift. 

I have always known the poets as the most 
sympathetic and satisfying of friends. There 
are many, old as well as young, who do not thus 
recognize them. It is with the hope of changing 
a mere casual acquaintance into true and last- 
ing intimacy that we have gathered here, for 
friendship's sake, these friendly words of the 
Friendly Poets. 

— Anna L. Curtis. 



THE FIELD AND THE MEANING OF 
POETRY 



The purpose of this book is to assure that 
each teacher using it will have a background 
which will enable her to present the poems to 
the pupils as bits of literature. Each poem has 
a message. At times it is easily understood in 
the very words of the poet. At other times an 
interpretation is required before the child 
grasps the meaning of the selection. This book 
aims to interpret where necessary, and to sup- 
ply additional data concerning the author and 
his woi-k. It also outlines a general method for 
teacliing poetry. 

Poetry is an expression of the finest senti- 
ments and emotions of mankind so presented 
as to claim consideration for beauty of form 
and metrical composition. It frequently draws 
upon the imagiiuxtion for its source, coming 
from the heart rather than from the intellect. 



IV 



FIELD AND MEANING OF POETRY v 

The field of poetry may be divided as follows : 
I The Lyric, distinctly the poem of emotion 
and song. 

1 Song — simple, natural expression of the 

poet's feelings on any sentiment. 

2 Anthem — a song with a religious senti- 

ment. 

3 Hymn — somewhat similar to the anthem. 

4 Elegy — expressing grief mingled with 

reflection. 

5 Sonnet — a short poem in fixed form lim- 

ited to 14 lines. 

6 Ode — an expression of intense feeling 

and enthusiasm of the poet. 
II The Epic, the poetry of narration. 

1 The great Epic — a noble theme based on 

mythology, legend or religion involv- 
ing a supernatural element or a com- 
plete and unified story; plot action 
concentrated in short time; the brief 
elements wholly or partly under super- 
human control. 

a National. 

b Artistic. 

2 Tlio lessor' Epic — 

a M(^tricnl i-omniu^^ oi* tale — a com- 
pk.^te story in liinnbU^ Tonn oT 



Vi FIELD AXD MEAXIXG OF POETRY 

narrative poetry with love and 
humor predominant; the theme 
is less grand and noble than in 
the great Epic and the super- 
natural element is less promi- 
nent ; the style is more easy and 
familiar; this is the product of 
the age of chivalry. 
h The Ballad — shorter and less de- 
scriptive than the tale; it tells 
its story rapidly and simply. 
c The Pastoral — slightly narrative 
poem depicting rural life with a 
large element of description but 
with little action. 
d The Idyl — pictures simple country 
life; quiet homely scenes ap- 
pealing to gentle emotions 
{Evangeline), or pictures highly 
spectacular life involving scenes 
of action and appealing to 
strong emotions {The Idylls of 
the King). 
Ill Dramatic, the poetry of action, the poetry 

of the stage. 
1 Tragedy — deals witli solemn themes 

showing a mortal will at odds with 



FIELD AND MEANING OF POETRY vil 

fate; it inspires pity, terror and awe; 
it leads through a plot to a fore- 
shadowed and inevitable catastrophe, 
leading to the final overthrow of the 
mortal who has been either criminal or 
mistaken in his motive. 
2 Comedy — deals with lighter themes, with 
the follies, accidents or humors of life ; 
the end is satisfactory to the reader 
and is not foreshadowed ; the aim is to 
produce amusement or mirth. 
IV Didactic poetry — this is in the form of the 
Epic, the Dramatic or the Lyric, but 
appeals to the intellect rather than to 
the emotions. 
V Satirical — this, too, is addressed to reason, 
and aims to expose the evils of society. 

W. H. Mandrey. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



PART I 

PAGE 

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Jane Taylor 2 

The Wind Robert Louis Stevenson 5 

Tiny Little Snowflake Anonymous 7 

Spring Celia Laighton Thaxter 9 

Singing Robert Louis Stevensoji 12 

Days of the Month Anonymous 13 

Dutch Lullaby Eugene Field 15 

America Samuel Francis Smith 18 

The Barefoot Boy John Greenleaf Whittier 21 

All Things Bright and Beautiful . . Mrs. Cecil F. Alexander 22 

Thanksgiving Day Lydia Maria Child 25 

Dj^i.sies Frafik D. Sher7na7i 28 

A Child's Prayer Matilda Betham Edwards 29 

Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind . . William Shakespeare 32 

The Four ^^'inds Frank Dempster Sherman 35 

Under the Greenwood Tree .... William Shakespeare 38 

Don't Give Up Pf^ahe Cary 40 

The Arrow and the Song . . Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 44 

En Voyage Caroline A . Mason 47 

Old Ironsides Oliver Wendell Holmes 50 

October's Bright Blue Weather . . . Helen Hvnt Jackson 54 

Woodman, Spare that Tree George F. Morris 58 

The Children's Hour .... Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 62 

O Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean .... Daniel T. Shaw 67 

^ Song James Whitcomb Riley 70 

The First Snowfall James Russell Lowell 73 

A Christmas Carol James Russell Lowell 76 

viii 



CONTENTS ix 

PART II 

PAGE 

An Incident of the French Camp .... Robert Browning 83 

Sheridan's Ride Thomas Buchanan Read 87 

Bugle Song Alfred Tennyson 92 

How Doth the Little Busy Bee Isaac Watts 95 

A Mother Thought Edgar A. Guest 97 

A Farewell Charles Kingsley 101 

The Cloud Percy Bysshe Shelley 103 

The Blue and the Gray Francis Miles Finch 109 

The Spacious Firmament Joseph Addison 115 

The Old Oaken Bucket Samuel Woodworth 118 

The Three Bells John Greenleaf Whittier 122 

The Violet Jane Taylor 125 

To a Skylark Percy Bysshe Shelley 128 

The Star-Spangled Banner Francis Scott Key 136 

To-night F.J.W.Ul 

A Patriotic Creed Edgar A. Guest 143 

The Chambered Nautilus .... Oliver Wendell Holmes 147 

The Charge of the light Brigade Lord Tennyson 151 

Concord Hymn Ralph Waldo Emerson 158 

The Destruction of Sennacherib . . . George Gordon Byron 161 

To a Waterfowl William Cullen Bryant 166 

Recessional Rudyard Kipling 170 

A Tribute to Columbus loaqidn Miller 175 

O Captain, My Captain Walt Whitman 181 

Gettysburg Address Abraham Lincoln 185 

Ye Mariners of England Thomas Campbell 189 

In Flanders Fields Lieut. Col. John McCrae 193 

In Flanders Fields (an answer) C. B. Galhraith 197 

Promoted John Oxcnham 199 

Mercy William Shakespeare 202 

Daffodils William Wordsworth 206 

PART HI 

Child's Evening Hymn Sabine Baring-Gould 213 

A Visit from St. Nicholas Clcmc?it (\ Moore 215 

The Wonderful World William Brighty Rands 218 



X CONTENTS 

PAGE 

The Lamplighter Robert Louis Stevenson 221 

Which Loved Best Joy Allison 223 

Seven Times One Jean Ingelow 228 

Friends Abhie Farwell Brown 231 

The Lord is My Shepherd Psalm XXIII 233 

Hiawatha's Childhood . . . Heiiry Wadsworth Longfellow 237 

I Will Lift up Mine Eyes Psalm CXXI 242 

The Miller of the Dee Charles Mackay 244 

The Sandpiper Celia Laighton Thaxter 248 

The American Flag . Joseph Rodman Drake 252 

Robin Hood John Keats 255 

Excelsior Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 259 

Break, Break, Break . Alfred Tennyson 264 

Robert of Lincoln William Cullen Bryant 266 

The Sands of Dee Charles Kingsley 272 

The Inchcape Rock Robert Southey 275 

Lochinvar Sir Walter Scott 280 

Old Folks at Home Stephen Collins Foster 284 

Lead, Kindly Light John Henry Newman 287 

The Last Leaf Oliver Wendell Holmes 289 

Burial of Sir John Moore Charles Wolfe 294 

Farewell to all My Greatness .... William Shakespeare 297 

Prospice Robert Browning 300 

Crossing the Bar Alfred Tennyson ZQil 

My Heart's in the Plighlands Robert Burns 305 

Nathan Hale Francis Miles Finch 307 

The Sea Barry Cornwall 312 

My Old Kentucky Home Stephen Collins Foster 315 

Breathes there a Man Sir Walter Scott 318 

Opportunity Edward Rowland Sill 321 

Auld Lang Sjme Robert Burns 323 



AS TO THE ARRANGEMENT 



There is no more difficult task than to 
arrange a list of poems in the proper order for 
presentation to children according to age. 
Some poems are for all ages; others, with a 
youthful spirit, may include a few words 
beyond the child's comprehension. No three 
persons will agree throughout upon the grad- 
ing of a group of poems for school children. 

The compilers of this book, therefore, have 
not graded it more than to divide it into three 
sections. They believe that, on the average, 
the poems in Part I are for younger children 
than those in Part II, and that those at tlie be- 
ginning of each part are more juvenile tliau 
those at the end. Part III contains some poems 
for young children, some for older ones, but 
many suitable for all ages. 



PART I 

PAGE 

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Jane Taijlor 2 

The Wind Robert Louis Stevenson 5 

Tiny Little Snowflake Anonymous 7 

Spring Celia Laighton Thaxter 9 

Singing Robert Louis Steve?} son 12 

Days of the Month Anonymous 13 

Dutch Lullaby Eugene Field 15 

America Samuel Francis Smith 18 

The Barefoot Boy John Greenleaf Whittier 21 

All Things Bright and Beautiful . . . Mrs. Cecil F. Alexander 22 

Thanksgi\'ing Day Lydia Maria Child 2.5 

Daisies Frank D. Sherman 28 

A Child's Prayer Matilda Betham Edwards 29 

Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind . . William Shakespeare 32 

The Four Winds Frank Dempster Sherman 35 

Under the Greenwood Tree .... William Shakespeare 38 

Don't Give Up Phoebe Cary 40 

The Arrow and the Song . . Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 44 

En Voyage Caroline A . Mason 47 

Old Ironsides Oliver Wendell Holmes 50 

October's Bright Blue Weather . . . Heleji Hunt Jackson 54 

Woodman, Spare that Tree George P. Morris 58 

The Children's Hour .... Henry Wadsworth Longfellow G2 

O Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean .... Daniel T . Shaw 67 

A Song James Whitcomb Riley 70 

The First Snowfall James Russell Lowell 73 

A Christmas Carol James Russell Lowell 76 



THE FRIENDLY POETS 



TWINKLE, TWINKLE, LITTLE STAR 

JANE TAYLOE 

Far away in the sky, there shine out every 
night thousands of tiny bright sparks that we 
call stars. 

It is hard to believe, but it is true, that those 
little points of light are really suns, like the 
big, blinding ball that makes daylight for us, 
and which we can never look in the face with- 
out tears, unless we use smoked glasses to pro- 
tect our eyes. The star-suns look small because 
they are so very far away. Many of them are 
much bigger and brighter than our sun, and 
so hot that if they were near enough tliey could 
scorch the whole earth black in a very short 
time. 

We are rather glad to know tliat these gn^at 
bhiziiig star-suns are so far frou) us tliat every 
twinkle that we see has been t^'^^vejiiig tor a 

3 



4 THE FRIENDLY POETS [P.^t I 

year or two — perhaps more — since its own star 
twinkled it at us. 

TWINKLE, TWINKLE, LITTLE STAR * 

TYPE: LYRIC 

Twinkle, twinkle, little star. 
How I wonder what you are ; 
LTp above the world, so high, 
Like a diamond in the sky. 

When the blazing sun is gone, 
When he nothing shines upon, 
Then you show your little light, 
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night. 

Then the traveller in the dark. 
Thanks you for your tiny spark ; 
He could not tell which w^ay to go 
If you did not twinkle so. 

In the dark blue sky you keep. 
And often through my curtains peep, 
For you never shut your eye 
Till the sun is in the sky. 

* Musical setting. Anonymous in Bool' of a TJiousand Songs, 
FraJil'Un Square Song Collection, Xo. 1, Golden Book, and 
Songs the Children Love to Sing; and bv Gertrude Walker in 
Songs and Games for Little Ones. 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 5 

As your bright and tiny spark 
Liglits the traveller in the dark, 
Though I know not what you are, 
Twinkle, twinkle, little star. 

— Jane Taylor. 



THE WIND 

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON 

The wind was ever the friend and plaj^mate 
of the little boy, Louis Stevenson. And when 
he grew up, the wind was still his friend, even 
to the choosing of a home for him. After a 
long sickness, he set sail from San Francisco 
in a beautiful schooner-yacht, trusting the 
Trade Wind to bloAV him to some pleasant 
island where he might get well and strong 
again. In that part of the world, the Trade 
Wind is always blowing south, and so the yacht 
went south with the wind. 

^^The 'Shining Ship' (that was what the 
natives called her) poked her sharp nose into 
many a sweet bay and dark-bine lag'oon, and 
passed from island to island through calm and 
storm, and picked her way through surf-swept 
reefs where the sharks played like minnows 



6 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 

benoatli lior kool. . . . The Trade AVind took 
Mr. Stevenson a long way, and through many 
queer and dangerous places before it brought 
liini Avithin sight of Upolu in Samoa, and told 
him to pack up and go ashore; which Mr. 
Stevenson was very glad to do, for he quite 
agreed with the Trade Wind that Upolu was 
the finest island in the whole ocean. ... In a 
short time he grew well and strong, just as he 
hoped he would, and remained grateful all his 
days to the Trade Wind for bringing him to 
Upolu ; and he always made a point of speaking 
kindly about it in his books." 

From Lloyd Osbourne 's Letters to Young Friends. Copy- 
right, 1895, by St. Nicholos and the Century Co. 



THE WIND * 

I saw you toss the kites on high 
And blow the birds about the sky ; 
And all around I heard you pass, 
Like ladies' skirts across the grass — 

O wind, a-blowing all day long! 

O wind, that sings so loud a song ! 

* Musical setting by F. D. Allen, in Song Echoes from Child 
f and : W. H. Aiken, in Willis Collection. 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 7 

I saw tlie different things you did, 
But always you yourself you hid. 
I felt you push, I heard you call, 
I could not see ^^ourself at all — 
O wind, a-blowing all day long, 
O wind, that sings so loud a song ! 

O you that are so strong and cold, 
O blower, are you young or old ? 
Are you a beast of field and tree. 
Or just a stronger child than me? 
O wind, a-blowing all day long, 
O wind, that sings so loud a song ! 

— Robert Louis Steyensox. 

Used hy permission of Charles Scrihner's Sons. 

TINY LITTLE SNOW-FLAKES 

Anonymous; sometimes attributed to 
LUCY LARCOM 

The great ocean of air, at tlie bottom of which 
we live, is full of water-vapor, which is always 
rising from the earth, hke steam from a kettk\ 
A cool wind, blowing high in the sky, chills this 
vapor into millions of tiny wator-drops, making 
thcmi visible, and forming clouds. If the wind 



8 THE FRIEXDLY POETS [Part I 

is freezing cold, the vapor does not form drops, 
but small threads of ice, which cling together 
and make snoA\ilakes. 

Some years ago, a balloonist, 13,000 feet 
above the earth, sailed through an immense 
cloud of snow, nearly a mile thick. In all this 
cloud every flake was a crystal, small but per- 
fectly formed, and distinct from all the others, 
and though there were hundreds and hundreds 
of patterns, nearly every one was six-sided or 
six-pointed. 

On the earth we seldom find perfect snow- 
crystals, as they have been bloA\Ti about by the 
wind, and beaten against each other in their 
flight from the upper air. But we know that 
when it leaves the sky, every flake is a crystal 
star of perfect form and beauty. 



TIXY LITTLE SXOW-FLAKES * 

Tiny little snow-flakes, 

In the air so high. 
Are you little angels 

Floatins: in the skv f 

* Musical sotting by Daniel Batchellor, in Songs and Games 
for Little Ones. 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 9 

Robed so white and siDotless, 

Flying like a dove, 
Are you little creatures, 

From the world above ? 

Whirling on the sidewalk, 

Dancing in the street. 
Kissing all the faces 

Of the children sweet, 
Loading all the housetops. 

Powdering all the trees, 
Cunning little snow-flakes. 

Little busy bees ! 

SPRING 

CELIA LAIGHTON THAXTEE 

When Celia Thaxter was five years old, she 
went to live on Appledore, one of tlie Isles of 
Shoals, near the coast of New Hampshire. It 
is a tiny island, ^^ swept by every wind that 
blows, and beaten by the bitter brine for un- 
known ages." In the summer, ferns, mosses, 
and flowers grow in every crack and cranny of 
the rocks, and the little girl loved every flower, 
and every inch of the ground. She had a tiny 



10 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 

garden of her own, every blossom so precious 
that she did not like to gather them, and when 
they withered, she carried them all to one hid- 
ing-place, and laid them tenderly together. 

But winter on the island was a terror, even 
after she grew up. ^^When all out-of-doors 
turns your deadly enemy, it is hard to bear," 
she said. '^AVe are imprisoned as completely 
as if we were in the Bastille; a mail perhaps 
once in two weeks, and the north-west wind 
mounting guard over us day and night, and 
howling like ten thousand raving fiends. . . . 
Twenty weeks of bluster between us and 
spring." (From Letters of Celia Thaxter, 
1895.) 

Spring! She looked forward to spring as to 
the opening of prison doors. 

Bastille — A famous prison in Paris. 

SPRING ^ 

The alder by the river 

Shakes out her powdery curls ; 
The willow buds in silver 

For little boys and girls. 

* Mnsical sotting by Edmund Sawyer in Song Echoes from 
Child Land; and by Hermann Strachauer, in Songs and Games 
for Little Ones, 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 11 

The little birds fly over 
And, oh, how sweet they sing ! 

To tell the happy children 
That once again 't is spring. 

The gay green grass comes creeping 
So soft beneath their feet; 

The frogs begin to ripple 
A music clear and sweet. 

And buttercups are coming, 

And scarlet columbine, 
And in the sunny meadows 

The dandelions shine. 

And just as many daisies 

As their soft hands can hold 

The little ones may gather, 
All fair in white and gold. 

Here blows the warm red clover. 
There peeps the violet blue ; 

O happy little children! 
God made them all for you. 

— Celia Laigktox Tkaxteh. 

IJ.^cd hy pcrmissio')} of, avd hj/ special arraupcmcnt irith, 
Ifouf/hton Mifflin Company, the aHthcm::cd puhlisJurs. 



12 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 

SINGING 

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON 

Eobert Louis Stevenson could never sing 
well. But when he was a very small boy, he 
often made little verses w^hich he sang over 
and over to himself. He called them his ' ' Song- 
stries." A few years later, he was singing 
^^How many Miles to Babylon?" while he and 
his cousins galloped on their hobby-horses ''a 
thousand miles around the garden," reaching 
Babylon ^^just in time for tea." 

More than anything else, Louis liked to play 
traveling. Without leaving his father's garden, 
he visited all the countries of the earth and 
fairyland, and saw how the children ate and 
dressed and played all over the Avorld. When 
the garden Avas a garden, there wqre birds sing- 
ing in the trees. But if he were playing *^ for- 
eign countries," instead of birds, he would hear 
the children of Spain or of far Japan. 

SINGING 

Of si^eckled eggs the birdie sings 
And nests among the trees ; 

The sailor sings of ropes and things 
In ships upon the seas. 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 13 

The children sing in far Japan, 
The children sing in Spain ; 

The organ with the organ man 
Is singing in the rain. 

— Robert Louis Stevenson. 

Used hy permission of Charles Scribner's Sons. 

What are some of the songs that you like 
best? Why? 

Which is your favorite school song? 

THE DAYS OF THE MONTH 

If you wish to remember anything, put it into 
rhyme, and see how much easier it wih be. How 
could we possibly be sure of the number of days 
in each month without the little verse that 
everyone knows? This rhyme, or one like it, 
is almost 350 years old. In the year 1577, a man 
named William Harrison wrote a Latin verse 
about the days in each month. The verse Ave 
know is almost exactly translated from this old 
Latin rhyme. 

In 1590, Richard Grafton wrote, in old-fash- 
ioned spelling, 

^^ Thirty dayes hath Nouember, 
Aprill, Jun(% and S('i)t(Mnl)(^r, 



14 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 

February hath xxviii alone, 
And all the rest have xxxi" 

Graft on ^ forgot about leap-year. The next 
verse-maker, in 1606, did not make such a mis- 
take. 

'^ Thirty days hath September, 
April, June, and November, 
February has twenty-eight alone. 
All the rest have thirty-one ; 
Excepting leap year, — that's the time 
"When February's days are twenty-nine." 

Other j)eople have changed the verse, and 
some of us knoAv it one way, and some 
another, — but the thing that really matters is 
to know how many days are in each month. 



DAYS OF THE MONTH 

Thirty days hath September, 
April, June and November ; 
All the rest have thirty-one, 
February twenty-eight alone. 
Except in leap-year, at which time, 
February's days are twenty-nine. 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 15 

WYNKEN, BLYNKEN, AND NOD 

EUGENE FIELD 

Eugene Field wrote these verses for his 
daughter Ruth, or '' Little Sister Girl," as he 
called her. Instead of an ordinary waste-bas- 
ket, a large high clothes-basket stood beside his 
writing-table. When ^^ Little Sister Girl" was 
a baby, she was often placed in this basket, in 
a nest of waste papers. Behind her, he had 
set a fishing-rod from Avhich dangled a toy 
within easy reach of the baby's hand. 

So the two would sit there together, the baby 
playing and her father working. He often 
stopped his work, however, to sing her queer 
little verses, or tell her funny little stories. And 
^^ Little Sister Girl" would smile at him so hap- 
pily, that she helped him to write many of his 
lullaby songs and child verses. Wynlxcu, 
Blynken^ and Nod was written in tliis way, with 
little^ Ruth smiling at her father from her 
ch)th(^s-basket n(^st. 

S(H^ St. Nicholas, 1895. 



16 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 

WYNKEN, BLYNKEN, AND NOD * 

TYPE: LYRIC 

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night 

Sailed off in a wooden shoe — 
Sailed on a river of crystal light, 

Into a sea of dew. 
''Where are you going, and what do you 
wish?^'^ 
The old moon asked the three. 
''We have come to fish for the herring fish 

That live in this beautiful sea ; 
Nets of silver and gold have we ! ' ' 

Said Wynken, 
Blynken, 
And Nod. 

The old moon laughed and sang a song, 
As they rocked in the wooden shoe. 

And the wind that sped them all night long 
Ruffled the waves of dew. 

The little stars were the herring fish 
That lived in that beautiful sea — 

* Musical setting by GiovanTii Risicllo, in Bivcrsidc Song 
Book; by Reginald De Koven, in Sonr/s from Eugene Field. 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 17 

^^JSTow cast your nets wherever you wish — 

Never afeard are we''; 
So cried the stars to the fishermen three : 

Wynken, 

Blynken, 

And Nod. 

All night long their nets they threw 

To the stars in the twinkling foam — 
Then down from the skies came the wooden 
shoe, 
Bringing the fishermen home; 
'Twas all so pretty a sail it seemed 

As if it could not be, 
And some folks thought 'twas a dream 
they'd dreamed 
Of sailing that beautiful sea — 
But I shall name you the fishermen three : 

Wynken, 
Blynken, 
And Nod. 

Wynken and Blynken are two little^ eyes, 

And Nod is a little head, 
And the wooden slioo that saiknl the skies 

Is a we(^ one's trundl(^-b(Hl. 



18 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 

So shut your eyes while mother sings 

Of wonderful sights that be, 
And you shall see the beautiful things 

As you rock in the misty sea, 
Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen 
three : 

Wynken, 
Blynken, 
And Nod. 

— Eugene Field. 

From The Poems of Eugene Field. Copyright, 1910. Pub- 
lished by Charles Scribiier's Sons. 



AMERICA 

SAMUEL FEANCT8 SMITH, D.D. 

Dr. Smith was twenty-three years old when 
he wrote tlie words of America. A friend, 
Lowell Mason, had Ic^nt Ihm a book of Gc^rinan* 
songs, asking him to translate some of tlic^m into 
English. As he tnriUMl the leaves he came to 
the air to which are s(^t tlu^ words of God Save 
the King, He read tlu^ German words, and 
thought that a truly American song would fit 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 19 

the music as well as a German one, or one for 
England. A scrap of paper lay on his table, 
and on this he wrote, in just half an hour, his 
own poem, My Country, 'Tis of Thee, which has 
become our national hymn, and is now called 
America. 

The neAv hymn was first sung at a Fourth of 
July celebration in Boston. During the Civil 
War it gained great popularity. The tune 
serves as the national anthem for America, 
England and Prussia. 

AMERICA * 

TYPE: LYRIC 

My country, 'tis of thee, 
Sweet land of Liberty, 

Of thee I sing; 
Land where my fathers died, 
Land of the pilgrims' pride, 
From ever)^ mountain side 

Let Freedom ring. 

My native country thee, 
Land of tlu^ n()l)l(^ free, 

* Set to air of God Save Ihr Kin(j, ])\ Dr. Bull. It appears 
in practically all the suiig-collcc.iuiis herein mentioned. 



20 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 

Thy name I love; 
I love thy rocks and rills, 
Thy woods and templed hills, 
My heart with rapture thrills 

Like that above. 

Let music swell the breeze, 
And ring from all the trees 

Sweet Freedom's song; 
Let mortal tongues awake, 
Let all that breathes partake. 
Let rocks their silence break. 

The sound prolong. 

Our fathers' God, to Thee, 
Author of liberty. 

To Thee we sing; 
Long may our land be bright 
With Freedom's holy light, 
Protect us by Thiy might, 

Great God, our King! 

— Samuel Francis Smith. 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 21 

THE BAREFOOT BOY 

JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER 

Whittier tells the truth when he says ^^I was 
once a barefoot boy. ' ' All this poem is the story 
of what he saAV and knew and did when he was 
a country boy in Haverhill, Massachusetts. The 
old farmhouse in which he lived was a hundred 
and fifty years old, and stood almost in the 
woods, being surrounded on three sides by for- 
ests. On the fourth side was a low green 
meadow Avith a noisy brook foaming through it. 
Butternut and walnut trees stood near the 
house, and behind it was a row of beehives. 
In the big barn, to which in the winter they 
dug paths through the snow, stood a horse, 
cows, oxen, and sheep. A pickerel pond lay 
near by, and an orchard was within easy reach 
of his hand. His parents could tell dozens of 
stories of bears, pioneers, Indians and witches 
— what more could life offer to a barefoot boy? 

THE BAREFOOT BOY 

Blessings on tlioo, little man. 
Barefoot boy, with clun^k of tan! 



22 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 

With tliY turnecl-up pantaloons, 
And thy merry whistled tunes ; 
With thy red lip, redder still 
Kissed by strawberries on the hill ; 
With the sunshine on thy face, 
Through thy torn brim's jaunty grace; 
From my heart I give thee joy, — 
I was once a barefoot boy ! 

— JoHx Gkeenleaf Whittier. 

Used hy permission of, and by special arrangement with, 
Houghton Mifflin Co. 



ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL 

MRS. CECIL FRANCES ALEXANDER 

(The poem is sometimes credited to John Keble) 

^^In the boginniiig, God created the lieaven 
and the earth. And the earth was without form 
and void." 

Wise men say it was once a great, shapeless, 
r(^d-hot mass, surrounded by clouds of steam. 
After a long, long time, the outsido cooled a 
litth^ making a crust around tlie melted mass 
inside. As the eai'th cooled, tlu^ clouds of vapor 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 23 

around it cooled also, and heavy showers of rain 
fell continually. 

Then for years and years great changes went 
on. Sometimes the steam inside, trying to 
escape, would push the crust into bumps and 
wrinkles, making a mountain or a whole range 
of mountains. Sometimes the inner fires would 
burst out in great volcanoes, bigger than any 
we have to-day, pouring out streams of melted 
rock. Or sometimes, weak spots in the crust 
would sink down and leave great hollows and 
depressions. Into these depressions, the 
waters were gathered, making the lakes and 
oceans. 

So for millions of years, the earth was being 
made, until it was ready for flowers and trees 
and animals and people. 



ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL 

All things bright and beautiful, 
All creatures great and snuill, 

All things wise and wonderful, 
Tlie Lord God made them all. 

* Miisicjil setting, Anonyiiions, in (liilil's S<))n/ Tnnsur,,. 



24 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 

Each little flower that opens, 
Each little bird that sings, 

He made their glowing colors, 
He made their tiny wings. 

The purple-headed mountain, 

The river running by. 
The sunset, and the morning 

That lighteth up the sky. 

The cold wind in the winter. 
The pleasant summer sun. 

The ripe fruits in the garden. 
He made them every one. 

The tall trees in the greenwood. 
The meadows where we play. 

The rushes by the water. 
We gather every day; — 

He gave us eyes to see them. 
And lips that we might tell, 

How great is CJod Almighty, 
Who hath made all things well. 



^' 



-]\Irs. Cecil Frances Alexander. 



Part 1] THE FRIENDLY POETS 25 

This poem aims to give in verse tlie biblical 
story of the Creation, pointing out that all those 
things which are good and beautiful are the 
work of God, the Creator. Moreover, the very 
small as well as the enormously large objects 
are the work of His hand. Name and discuss 
some of the bright, the beautiful, the great and 
the small things that God has given us to enjoy 
and use. 

THANKSGIVING DAY 

LYDrA MARIA CHILD 

The first Thanksgiving party was held in 
October, 1621, and lasted for three days. The 
Pilgrims, who had come to Plymouth, Mass., the 
year before, had suffered much during the win- 
ter and fully half of them had died. But the 
summer was warm, their sick recovered, and 
their crops were good. 

^^Let us celebrate," they said. ^^Let us have 
a feast and give thanks to God for His lielp 
throughout th(^ 3^ear. And to show that we are 
thankful for the friendsliip of tlie Indians, and 
the food they have given us, let us ask Cliief 
Massasoit and his tribe to come to our tluuiks- 
giving feast.'' 



26 THE FRIEXDLY POETS [Part I 

And SO it was done. But a Thanksgiving 
party was an experiment, and might, i3erhai3S, 
be dangerous. So the squaws and pappooses 
kept the wigwam fires burning, while ninety 
gaily-decked braves went to the party, headed 
by Chief Massasoit, and Squanto, the Indian 
who spoke English. 

Three days were spent in games and feasting. 
There were foot-races and Avrestling matches, 
and trials of marksmanship, the Indians with 
bows and arrows, the white men with guns. 

And three times a day they ate — ^^^enison, 
roast turkey, clam chowder, and pies and cakes 
and other baked food, such as the Indians had 
never seen before. And at every meal they all 
thanked God for His bountv and care. 



THANKSGIVING DAY * 

TYPE: SIMPLE LYRIC 

Over the river and through the wood, 
To grandfather's house we go; 

The horse knows the way 

To carry the sleigh 
Through the white and drifted snow. 

* Musical setting bv Margaret B. Morton, in Sonps and 
Games for Little Ones. 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 27 

Over the river and through the wood — 
Oh, how the wind does blow ! 
It stings the toes 
And bites the nose, 
As over the ground we go. 

Over the river and through the wood, 
To have a first-rate play. 

Hear the bells ring, 

' ' Ting-a-ling-ding ! ' ' 
Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day ! 

Over the river and through the wood 
Trot fast, my dapple-gray! 
Spring over the ground, 
Like a hunting-hound! 
For this is Thanksgiving Day. 

Over the river and through the wood, 
And straight through the barn-j^ard 
gate. 
We seem to go 
Extremely slow, — 
It is so hard to wait! 



28 THE FRIEXDLY POETS [Part I 

Over the river cind through the wood — 
Now gTanduiuther's cap I spy I 
Hurrah for the f im ! 
Is the pudding done? 
Hurrah for the pumpkin-pie ! 

— ^Lydia ^Iaria Child. 

DAISIES 

FRANK DEMPSTER SHERMAX 

Tw inklmg m the sky over our heads are thou- 
sands of stars, too many for us to count. They 
are strewn as thickly as the daisies in the fields. 
**They are the flowers of the great sk\'-tree," 
said the Eg^i3tians of long ago. '*Wlien the 
day is done, the sun hides among the leaves of 
the tree. The flowers glittering in his light are 
the stars that we see in the sky," 

DAISIES 

TYPE: SIMPLE L\T^IC 

At evening when I go to bed 
I see the stars shine overhead; 
They are the little daisies white 
That dot the meadow of the Night. 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 29 

And often while I'm dreaming so, 
Across the sky the Moon will go ; 
It is a lady, sweet and fair, 
Who comes to gather daisies there. 

For when at morning I arise, 

There's not a star left in the skies; 

She's picked them all and dropped them 

down 
Into the meadows of the town. 

— Frank Dempster Sherman. 

Used by permission of, and by special arrangement with, 
Houghton Mifflin Company, the authorized publishers. 



A CHILD'S PRAYER 

MATILDA BETH AM EDWARDS 

King Richard, th(^ Lion-Heart, of England, 
was once captured by an c^iemy, and was hold 
a prisoner until the people of England paid a 
heavy ransom for his l']-(HMlom. 

In the old stories, it is said that for months 
al'tcM' his caplur(\ h(^ ^\'as kc\A so ch)S(^ly im- 



30 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 

prisoned that his friends had no idea where he 
was, except that he was in some castle in Ger- 
many. Finally his minstrel, Blondel, set out to 
search for him with a song. The king and the 
minstrel had together composed a song, and it 
was by this song, which had never been sung 
by anyone else, that Blondel hoped to find his 
master. 

From castle to castle he wandered, at each 
place singing, and playing on his lute to amuse 
the people, and often lingering around the 
castle-walls singing the song that Richard 
knew. Months passed aAvay, and still he wan- 
dered and hoped. At last, one night, as he sang 
the song under the grated windows of a lofty 
tower, another voice joined m the strain. 
Blondel had found the King — had found him, 
with a song. 



A CHILD'S PRAYER 

TYPE: LYRIC 

God make my life a little light, 
Within the world to glow^ — 

A tiny flame that burnetii bright. 
Wherever I may go. 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 31 

God make my life a little flower, 

That giveth joy to all, 
Content to bloom in native bower, 

Although its place be small. 

God make my life a little song. 

That comforteth the sad, 
That helpeth others to be strong, 

And makes the singer glad. 

God make my life a little staff. 
Whereon the weak may rest. 

That so what health and strength I have 
May serve my neighbor best. 

— Matilda Betham Edwards. 

This poem has a valuable lesson for old as 
well as young. The prayer of this little child 
gives expression to the hope that she will be 
able to lead a life of usefulness and service to 
others. It further expresses the hope that she 
will be satisfied with her station in life, humble 
though it be, and that in a modest, unpreten- 
tious way she will be abk^ to benefit those about 
her. 

Native hoivcr — the spot wIumh^ it gin^w up, its 
natural home. 



32 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 

BLOW, BLOW, YE WINTER WIND 

WILLIAM 8HAKE8PEARE 

In Shakespeare's play, As You Like It, the 
youth Orlando was so hated by his older 
brother, for no cause at all, that finally he was 
forced to leave his home, to save his very life. 
An old servant accompanied him, and they 
traveled for many days until thej^ came to the 
forest of Arden, and found themselves lost, and 
suffering for food. 

At last the old man could go no further. He 
felt himself dying, and bade Orlando leave him. 
Orlando carried him to a sheltered spot, laid 
him carefully down under the trees, and then 
rushed off to make one last desperate search ' 
for food. 

As good fortune would have it, he came upon 
a party of forest-dwellers just sitting down to 
their dinner. They freely invited both Orlando 
and the old servant to eat with them, and the 
food soon revived the weary travelers. While 
they ate, one of the party sang this song of the 
winter wind. 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 33 



BLOW, BLOW, YE WINTER WIND ^ 

TYPE: LYRIC 

Blow, blow, thou winter wind. 
Thou art not so unkind 

As man's ingratitude; 
Thy tooth is not so keen, 
Because thou art not seen, 

Although thy breath be rude. 

Chorus 

Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! unto the green 

holly; 
Most friendship is feigning, most loving 
mere folly; 
Then, heigh-ho, the holly! 
This life is most joll}^ 

Freeze, freeze, thou })itter sky, 
That dost not bite so nigh 

* Mufiical setting hy J. R. S. Stevens, })nhlis]ied as sheet music 
in Octavo choruses. Jubilee Collection, hj/ Oliver C. Ditson i\'- Co., 
New York-, Boston, and Philadelphia. 



34 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 

As benefits forgot: 
Though thou the waters warp, 
Thy sting is not so sharp 

As friend remembered not. 

Chorus 
Heigh-ho! sing, etc. 

— AVillia:\i Shakespeare. 

This song occurs in the last scene of Act II 
of ^4^ You Like It. 

The song has two verses and a chorus sung 
at the end of each verse. The meaning of the 
first verse is this : the poet addresses the biting 
winter wind that is so penetrating and seems 
to sting us so unkindly. But, he adds, the sting 
of the blast is nothing as compared to the deep 
hurt we feel when one is ungrateful and for- 
gets what we have done for him. 

In verse 2, the cold winter sky is addressed. 
The frost, sleet and hail from tlie sky cut us 
and make us feel very uncomfortable. But 
even this can be borne better tlian the sliglit 
of someone* whom we have befriended. 

The exiles no doubt apply the meaning of this 
song to their own experiences. The chorus, 
though giving expression to the same senti- 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 35 

ment, is lighter in vein and sentiment, lacking 
the harshness of the verses. 

Tooth — a sudden, severe gust, a gale. 

Breath — a strong breeze. 

Heigh-ho — an English exclamation, express- 
ing joy or disappointment. 

Holly — the well known evergreen, a symbol 
of perpetual friendship. 

Bitter sky — refers to the cold gray sky of 
winter. 

Nigh — deeply, not as close to the heart or 
affections. 

Warp — this refers to changing the form of 
water in freezing. 

Feigning — assumed, not real. 

Folly — it doesn't pay, not lasting. 

THE FOUR WINDS 

FRANK DKMPSTEE 8HERMAN 

In the country, there are many rhymes and 
jingles about the winds and the weather tliey 
bring. Here are two oki rhymes which do not 
quite agi'(H'; l)ut tliis only shows that th(\v came 
from different placets. Tlie first is probably 
from Old England; the other, from Nar Eng- 
land, on opx)osite sides of the Atlantic Occ^aii. 



36 THE FRIEMJLY POETS [Part I 

The south wind brings wet weather, 
The north wind wet and cold together ; 
The w^est wind always brings us rain, 
The east w^nd blows it back again. 

^ -5^ TT ^ ^ 

When the wind is in the east, 

^T is good f ( >r neither man nor beast ; 

When the wind is in the north, 

The skilful fisher goes not fr)rth ; 

When the wind is in the south, 

It blows the bait in the fish's mouth; 

When the wind is in the west, 

Then 't is at the very best. 

THE FOUR WINDS 

TYPE: LVRIC 

In winter, when the wind I hear, 
I know the clouds will disappear: 
For 't is the wind who sweeps thi^ sky. 
And piles the snow in ridges high. 

In spring, when stirs the wind, I know 
That soon the crocus buds will show; 
For 't is the wind who bids them wake 
And into pretty blossoms break. 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 37 

In summer when it softly blows, 
Soon red I know will be the rose, 
For 't is the wind to her who speaks 
And brings the blushes to her cheeks. 

In autumn, when the wind is up, 
I know the acorn's out its cup; 
For 't is the wind who takes it out. 
And plants an oak somewhere about. 
— Frank Dempster Sherman. 

Used hy permission of, and hy special arrangement with, 
Houghton Mifflin Company, the authorized publishers. 

The thought of this poem is very evident. 
The poet, who reveals himself to be a keen 
observer and student of nature, gives us a clue 
to the service the winds contribute at each 
season. Note in reading the poem that he pre- 
sents two pictures in each stanza, — the situa- 
tion before the wind has done its work and 
the result of the blowing of the wind. 

Sweeps the sky — What does the wind swec^p 
in the sky? 

Crocus — a plant of the Iris family witli h)ni;' 
grass-like leaves and large flower's. 

Acorn\^ out its cup — reefers to di-oppin^' of 
the aeorn ont of its shc^ll. 



38 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 

UNDER THE GREENWOOD TREE 

WILLIAM 8HAKE8PEAKE 

This little song comes from the play, As You 
Like It, nearly all the scenes of which are laid 
in the forest of Arden, the retreat of a duke 
who had been driven by his brother from his 
domain. A few faithfnl friends remained witli 
him in his exile, ^^and custom soon made the 
life of careless ease they led here more sweet 
to them than the pomp and uneasy splendor of 
a courtier's life. Here they lived like the Robin 
Hood of old England, and to this forest many 
noble youths daily resorted from the court, and 
did fleet the time carelessly, as they did who 
lived in the golden age. In the summer they 
lay under the fine shade of the large for- 
est trees, marking the playful sports of the 
wild deer." 

From Tales from Slml'cspcare, Charles and Mary Lamb. 

Among the duke's friends was one named 
Amiens, who often composed songs which he 
sang to clieer the others when they were tired 
or homesick. Perhaps the most beautiful of 
these songs is the one here given. 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 39 



UNDER THE GREENWOOD TREE * 

TYPE: LYEIC 

Under the greenwood tree 

Who loves to lie with me, 

And turn his merry note 

Unto the sweet bird's throat, 
Come hither, come hither, come hither. 

Here shall he see 

No enemy 
But winter and rough weather. 

Who doth ambition shun 
And loves to live i' the sun, 
Seeking the food he eats 
And pleased with what he gets, 

Come hither, come hither, come hither. 
Here shall he see 
No enemy 

But winter and rough weather. 

— William Skakkspkahe. 

The thouf^ht and spirit of tlio pooin aro easily 
iindc^rstood. The siiii^'iM' bids evcM'voiu^ and any- 

* Musical setting l)y Carl Buscli, in Fifti/ Shalt'spcarr Songs. 



40 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 

one to join liim out in the open, and in carefree 
abandoimient lie beneath a great oak and sing 
merrily in tune Avith the happy birds. This life, 
he promises, is a happy one, with no worries 
or troubles; that is, when the weather is fine. 
The only things that mar the complete enjoy- 
ment of such happiness and freedom are the 
hardships of A^^nter and the discomfiture gen- 
erally experienced in the open when a period 
of bad weather sets in. 

DOX'T GIVE UP 

PHa:BK CARY 

Stories of the endless contest between men 
and the sea illustrate the fact that most things 
great and good are done '^just by patient try- 
ing." Take, for instance, the story of the 
Eddystone Lighthouse. 

The Eddystone Rocks, about fourteen miles 
out from Plymouth, England, are fully exposed 
to the south-western seas, and are among the 
most dangerous rocks on the coast. For cen- 
turies, they were a terror to ships and sailors, 
and often not one survivor would be left to tell 
the tale of another wreck on those cruel rocks 
of Eddvstone. 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 41 

In 1694, a London merchant named Winstan- 
ley, who had lost two ships there, determined 
to do Avhat everyone said was impossible — to 
build a lighthouse on the Eddystone Kocks. 
^^The waves dash higher than the mast-head 
of a seventy-gim ship,'' said the Mayor of 
Plymouth. ^^Put a light on the land; that is 
ours. But let alone the deadly rock in God 
Almighty's sea." 

But Winstanley gathered men and materials, 
and went out to the rock. For months he 
worked, and still whatever he reared by day, 
the sea tore down at night. Then came calm 
weather with a heavy fog, and Winstanley put 
out to sea again. For two weeks the fog hid 
the rock from the view of those on shore, who 
watched in terror, fearing that the brave build- 
ers were lost. 

Then a ship came into harbor. ^'What 
creatures are building on the water?" said the 
captain. ^^We heard out there a noise liki^ sliip- 
wright's hammers, and through the fog we saw 
a house on the sea. ' ' So the people of Plymoutli 
watched again, until the fog lifted, and tliey 
saw indeed, a tower on the Eddystone Rocks, 
Winstauley had conquered the sea, and in l(j!)8 
finislied liis towiM', and liglil(Ml lln^ liglil. 



42 THE FRIEXDLY POETS [Part I 

The next year he strengthened the tower, and 
built it higher. For five years it stood, and 
the sailors blessed the man who had lighted 
the sea for them. In November, 1703, he went 
to visit it, as often before. One of the worst 
hurricanes in the history of PhTQouth broke 
that night; and in the morning the tower was 
do^vn. Winstanley and his life's work lay 
together at the bottom of the Atlantic. 

But he had shoA\'n the Avay. Another tower 
was built, Avhicli stood for forty-six years. 
Then came another, the Smeaton tower, which 
weathered the storms for one hundred and 
twenty years. The fourth lighthouse now 
stands on the Eddystone Eock. But it was 
Winstanley, that grand old merchant of London 
town, who built the first one, and refused to 
give up. 

DON'T GIVE UP 

TYPE: DIDACTIC 

If you^'e tried and have not won. 

Never stop for crying; 
All that's great and good is done 

Just by patient trying. 



Part I] ' THE FRIENDLY POETS 43 

Though young birds, m flying, fall, 
Still their wings grow stronger; 

And the next time they can keep 
Up a little longer. 

Though the sturdy oak has known 
Many a blast that bowed her, 

She has risen again, and grown 
Loftier and prouder. 

If by easy work you beat, 

Who the more will prize you? 

Gaining victory from defeat, 
That's the test that tries you! 

— ^Phcebe Cary. 

Vsed hy permission of, and hy special arrangement with, 
Houghton Mifflin Company, the authorized publishers. 

This poem emphasizes two ideas : 
1. The folly of ^^ crying over spilled milk." Let 
every reverse or failure furnish a lesson 
which will help you another time. Don't 
waste your time poring over your tronbli^s ; 
try again, and learn how to benefit by mis- 
takes. 



44 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 

2. Victory and success when achieved by per- 
sistent and determined effort against re- 
verses and disasters mean more than easy 
accomplishment where resistance is either 
slight or of minor value. 

Stanzas 1 and 4 state the lesson the poem 
teaches. 

Stanzas 2 and 3. — We have instances cited 
showing how nature struggles and over- 
comes disaster; in fact, gains power by 
refusing to be conquered and by battling 
against the forces that destroy. 



THE ARROW AND THE SONG 

HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW 

The entry in Longfellow's Journal for No- 
vember 16th, 1843, reads: ^^ Before church, 
wrote The Arrow and the Song, which came 
into my mind as I stood with my back to the 
fire, and glanced on to the paper with arrowy 
speed. Literally an improvisation." 

From Life of Jlenry ]l\ JjongfeUow, hy Sanuiol Longfellow. 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 45 

THE ARROW AND THE SONG ^ 

TYPE: DIDACTIC 

I shot an arrow into the air, 
It fell to earth, I knew not where ; 
For, so swiftly it flew, the sight 
Could not follow it in its flight. 

I breathed a song into the air, 
It fell to earth, I knew not where ; 
For who has sight so keen and strong 
That it can follow the flight of song? 

Long, long afterward, in an oak 
I found the arrow, still unbroke; 
And the song, from beginning to end, 
I found again in the heart of a friend. 

— Henky W. Longfellow. 

Used hy permission of, and hi/ special arrai\(iemcnt with, 
Houghton Mifflin Company. 

Longfellow teaches us a k^ssoii of (^v(M'v day 
hfo in tliis htt1(^ poc^iii. To illnstrat(^ his ))()iiit 

^Musical setting' by Miclincl W. Hnlfo, in Our FamUiar 
/Songs. 



46 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 

he makes use of two objects, — an arrow and a 
song. An arrow is primarily a weapon intended 
to cause hurt, harm, wounds, death. A song is 
intended to bring gladness and joy. Now quite 
frequently we shoot both, — the acts or deeds 
that hurt others; the thoughts or feelings that 
bring joy to our friends. 

Quite frequently and most often these things 
are done unintentionally and thoughtlessly, 
without any real hidden motive. This is given 
in the poem by the idea that the arrow and 
song are aimed at no particular place, simply 
^4n the air," and so little thought and atten- 
tion are given that even the landing place is 
unknown. And again, so many times we hurt 
or please our friends so keenly and suddenly 
that we do not note the full effect of the deed. 

But, quite frequently, years afterward, the 
effect of the pain or the joy is made evident. 
We find that the shot has struck firmly and 
deeply in the hearts of our strongest and most 
loyal friends. Time has not taken away from 
the sting or hurt for it has lost none of its 
force and remains unbroken. So it is with the 
song; it has reached its mark and found and 
made a loyal friend. 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 47 



^^EN VOYAGE" 

CAROLINE A. MASON 



In the days before steamships crossed the 
ocean, traveling almost as close to schedule time 
as a railway train, sailing-vessels went to and 
fro, the length of their passage depending en- 
tirely on the will of wind and wave. With 
favorable winds blowing steadily in the same 
direction, a good ship might cross the Atlantic 
in three weeks, while a contrary wind, or a dead 
calm, might lengthen the same ship's journey 
to three months. 

Two ships set sail on the same day, as it hap- 
pened; one from Boston sailing to Liverpool; 
the other from Liverpool to Boston. The Liver- 
pool boat found the wind blowing freshly from 
the east, and boomed along over the sea, making- 
splendid time toward her goal. Passengers and 
crew rejoiced in their speed, and hoped that it 
might continue to the end. 

They had nearly arrived at Boston when they 
sighted a ship struggling ah)ng against the 
wind that carried tliem so swiftly. They ex- 
changed signals as they met, and found, to the 



48 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Fakt 1 

surprise of all, that they had been on the sea 
for the same number of days. Yet one had 
nearly finished its voyage, while the other had 
hardly begun. The wind that sped the one ship 
on its way was the very worst possible for the 
other. 

^^EN VOYAGE''* 

TYPE: LYRIC 

Whichever ' way the wind doth blow 
Some heart is glad to have it so; 
Then blow it east, or blow it west, 
The wind that blows, that wind is best. 

My little craft sails not alone; 

A thousand fleets from every zone 

Are out upon a thousand seas; 

And what for me were favoring breeze 

Might dash another, with the shock 

Of doom, upon some hidden rock. 

And so I do not dare to pray 

For winds to waft me on my way. 

But leave it to a Higher Will 

To stay or speed me; trusting still 

*Musical sotting, Anonymous, in Acadcmii Song Book. 



Part I J THE FRIENDLY POETS 49 

That all is well, and sure that He 

Who launched my bark will sail with me 

Through storm and calm, and will not fail, 

Whatever breezes may prevail, 

To land me, every peril past, 

Within His sheltering heaven at last. 

Then, whatsoever wind doth blow. 

My heart is glad to have it so ; 

And blow it east or blow it west. 

The wind that blows, that wind is best. 

— Caroline A. Mason. 

Used 'by permission of, and hy special arrangement with, 
Houghton Mifflin Company, the authorized publishers. 

The thought of the poem can be expressed in 
the old adage, '^It's an ill wind that blows no- 
body good." We must consider that what may 
benefit one, may harm another, and what causes 
you pain may give pleasure to others. If pos- 
sible, illustrate from your own experiences. 

The two ideas of the poem are expressed as 
follows : 

In Stanza 1 — No matter which direction the 
wind may blow, th(U'(^ is s()ni(M)ii(^ for whom lliat 
way is i]w. Ix^st. 

In Slair/a 2 — My bark" (syinhol Tor my WW') 



50 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 

is not the only one that sails the seas ; the favor- 
ing breeze (fortunate circumstance) which 
helps me might bring disaster to someone else. 
And God, who has planned the journey for 
every one of us, knows best the course and 
progress we should take. We must have faith 
that ^^all is well," that the Pilot is with us and 
the journey will be accomplished safely. 

Little craft — my own life and fortunes. 

Thousand fleets — the life and fortunes of 
others. 

Zone — from every corner of the earth. 

TJiousand seas — everywhere. 

Favoring breeze — a stroke of good luck. 

Hidden rock — disaster, bad luck. 

OLD IRONSIDES 

OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES 

During the early days of the War of 1812, 
one of the English newspapers, misjudging the 
untried navy of the United States, spoke of the 
warship Constitntion as a ^* bundle of pine- 
boards sailing under a bit of striped bunting." 
A few weeks later tliat sturdy American frigate 
met the English ship Guerriere, The two ves- 
sels were of the same strength, l)\it in a half- 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 51 

hour the Guerriere was sinking, the Constitu- 
tion unhurt. Soon afterwards, she sunk 
another British war-ship, again receiving, her- 
self, no serious injuries. These two proofs of 
her staunchness caused her admirers to christen 
her ^^Old Ironsides.'' Other victories added to 
her reputation, and she was known as a ^4ucky 
ship'' because she never lost a battle, never was 
dismasted, and never went ashore. 

After the War, ^^Old Ironsides" lay in 
harbor until 1830, in which year Oliver Wendell 
Holmes, just graduated from Harvard Univer- 
sity, read in the Boston Daily Advertiser, that 
the Secretary of the Navy had recommended 
the breaking up of the Constitution, Two days 
later the same paper contained the young poet's 
flaming protest against such desecration of the 
gallant ship, the glory of whose victories was 
one of his earliest memories. 

The verses were copied in nearly every paper 
in the country, and were even i)rinted as hand- 
bills and distributed from house to house, 
arousing a storm of public indignation against 
the destruction of ^^Old Ironsides." The Navy 
Department jnelded, and the frigate lay peace- 
fully in harbor until 190G, wIhmi it was sug- 
gested that she be used as a target for gun- 



52 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 

practice. Again tlie poem was sent broadcast 
through the country, and again a wave of pop- 
ular sentiment demanded the preservation of 
this reminder of the early victories of the 
United States upon the sea. 

And so, * .housed over," to protect it from 
sun and storm, visited by thousands yearly, the 
old ship lies to-day in the Boston Navy-yard, 
close by the spot where the English landed for 
the battle of Bunker Hill — a fit resting-place 
for the staunch and valiant ^^Old Ironsides.'' 



OLD IRONSIDES * 

TYPE: ODE 

Ay, tear her tattered ensign down! 

Long has it waved on high, 
And many an eye has danced to see 

That banner in the sky; 
Beneath it rung the battle shout. 

And burst the cannon's roar; 
The meteor of the ocean air 

Shall sweep the clouds no more. 

* Musical scttijig, German air, Aiulroas Hofer, in Eivcrside 
Song Book, and by William Lanlnor, in Most Popular Songs of 
Patriotism, 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 53 

Her deck, once red with heroes' blood, 

Where knelt the vanquished foe, 
When winds were hurrying o 'er the floods 

And waves were white below, 
No more shall feel the victor's tread. 

Or know the conquered knee ; 
The harpies of the shore shall pluck 

The eagle of the sea! 

O, better that her shattered hulk 

Should sink beneath the wave ; 
Her thunders shook the mighty deep, 

And there should be her grave : 
Nail to the mast her holy flag. 

Set every threadbare sail. 
And give her to the god of storms, 

The lightning and tlie gale ! 

— Oliver Wendell Holmes. 

Used hy permission of, and hy special arrangement with, 
Houghton J Mifflin Company. 

In the poem Holmes first extols tlie glory of 
the ship which gavc^ inspiration and victory to 
American seamen. She was tlu^ a(*kii()\vI(Hl^'(Hl 
^S^ag](^ of th(^ S(^a." Bnl, llolini^s ('onfiinuvs, 



54 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 

there are some plunderers (harpies) who would 
despoil her and rob her of her one-time splen- 
dor and glory. Then, he suggests, rather than 
such a fate, let her be rigged out with her ^4ioly 
flag," and ^^ threadbare sails/' turned loose 
upon the wide ocean to fight the storms and the 
heavy seas until she is finally shattered and 
forced to bow before storm and wave. This, he 
protests, would be a more fitting end to the 
famous old w^arship. 

Ensign — the ship's flag. 

Meteor — a sAviftly moving body in the 
heavens. This refers to the flag. 

Harpies — refers to the plunderers who want 
to destroy the vessel. 

Eagle of the sea — refers to the proud record 
as a conqueror, that the ship enjoyed. 

OCTOBER'S BRIGHT BLUE WEATHER 

HELEN HUNT JACKSON (SAXE HOLM) 

The writer of this poem loved ^^the great 
out-of-doors," and the free air of the country. 
All seasons werc^ beautiful to her, and she has 
written verses praising almost every month of 
the year. She is famous, however, chiefly be- 
cause of her work foi* tlu^ Indians. 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 55 

A few years before her death she went to 
Colorado in search of health, and became deeply 
interested in the condition of the American 
Indians, and the injustice done them by the 
United States Government. She set herself at 
once to the great task of righting their wrongs. 
She published first her book, A Century of Dis- 
honor , a history of the Government's dealings 
with the Indians ; and then her novel, Ramona, 
the purpose of which was as high as that of 
Uncle Tom^s Cabin , but written to help the red 
man instead of the black. 

In 1883 she was appointed by the Government 
a special commissioner to inquire into the needs 
of the Mission Indians of California, and pre- 
sented a most able and appealing report. Her 
death two years later deprived the Indians of 
the foremost champion of their rights. 



OCTOBER'S BRIGHT BLUE WEATHER 

O suns and skies and clouds of Juno, 
And flowers of June together, 

Ye cannot rival for one hour 
Oetol)er's bright blue weatlier, 



56 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 

When loud the bumble-bee makes haste, 

Belated, thriftless vagrant, 
And golden-rod is dying fast, 

And lanes with grapes are fragrant; 

When gentians roll their fringes tight 
To save them for the morning, 

And chestnuts fall from satin burrs 
Without a sound of warning; 

When on the ground red apples lie 

In piles like jewels shining, 
And redder still on old stone walls 

Are leaves of woodbine twining ; 

When all the lovely wayside things 
Their white-winged seeds are sowing, 

And in the fiekls, still green and fair. 
Late aftermaths are growing; 

When springs run low, and on the brooks. 

In idle golden freighting, 
Bright leaves sink noiseless in the hush 

Of woods, for winter waiting; 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS ^ 57 

When comrades seek sweet country haunts, 

By twos and twos together, 
And count like misers, hour by hour, 

October's bright blue weather. 

O suns and skies and flowers of June, 
Count all your boasts together, 

Love loveth best of all the year 
October's bright blue weather. 

— Helex Hunt Jackson. 

Copyrighted hy Little, Brown & Company. 

Helen Hunt Jackson was no ^^ nature fakir." 
She has described very vividly all she saw, and 
she saw things with the accuracy of a Bur- 
roughs. How many have noted the various 
^ doings" in the realm of nature at just this 
time of the year? The poet has done it so well 
that no matter in what season of the year we 
read her poem we can appreciate the situation 
she pictures. 

Rival — does not mean equal, but ratlier ex- 
presses the idea that June cannot liopi^ to act 
as a competitor Avith October. 

Belated — behind time. 

Thriftless — no thouglit of saving. 



58 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 

Vagrant — wanderer. 

Satin — a very descriptive adjective. 

Aftermaths — Math means moKing, and after- 
math, therefore, means the after-mowing, — the 
growth after mowing. 

Freighting — here means floating. 

Haunts — places where we like to go often. 

Boasts — here means things that can be 
boasted of. 



WOODMAN, SPARE THAT TREE 

GEORGE POPE MOERIS 

The story told in this poem is a true one, 
and the old tree may still be standing, in that 
part of New York City formerly known as 
Bloomingdale. 

Riding one day with a friend, Morris passed 
a cottage, near which stood a large tree. 

^^That Avas once my home," said the friend. 
*'Bnt it is nothing to me now. Father, mother, 
sisters — all are gone." He paused, and then 
added: ^^ Don't think me foolish. I never ride 
in this direction without coming to look at that 
old tree. My sisters and I often played under 
it, and it seems to me like an old friend. It 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 59 

would be a great grief to me if anything should 
happen to it.'' 

He had scarcely uttered the words when a 
man carrying an ax came from the cottage, and 
walked about the tree as if deciding where to 
strike the first blow. 

^^ What are you going to do?" cried the gen- 
tleman. ^^You are surely not going to cut down 
that tree?" 

^^That is just what I am going to do/' an- 
swered the man. ^^We need it for firewood." 

^^That tree means a great deal to me. If I 
pay you what it is worth for wood, will you let 
it stand?" 

'^Surely," said the woodman. The money 
was paid him, and both he and his daughter 
promised that the tree should stand as long as 
they lived in the cottage. 

Mr. Morris Avas greatly touched by his 
friend's love for the old tree, the only living 
reminder of his childhood, and, soon afterward, 
wrote these sympathetic verses in memory of 
the incident. 



60 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 



WOODMAN, SPARE THAT TREE * 

TYPE: LYRIC 

Woodman, spare that tree ! 

Touch not a single bough: 
In youth it sheltered me. 

And ITl protect it now; 
'T was my forefather's hand. 

That placed it near his cot. 
There, woodman, let it stand, 

Thy ax shall harm it not! 

That old familiar tree 

^Tiose glory and renown. 
Are spread o'er land and sea. 

And would 'st thou hew it down? 
Woodman, forbear thy stroke! 

Cut not its earth-bound ties; 
Oh, spare that aged oak, 

Now towering to the skies. 

* Musical setting, by Henry Kussell, in Songs Children Love, 
Familiar Songs, Franklin Square Song Book, Golden Book, Book 
of 1000 Songs, Riverside Song Book. 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 61 

When but an idle boy, 

I sought its grateful shade; 
In all their gushing joy, 

Here, too, my sisters played; 
My mother kissed me here ; 

My father pressed my hand, — 
Forgive this foolish tear. 

But let that old oak stand! 

My heart-strings round thee cling. 

Close as thy bark, old friend ! 
Here shall the wild-bird sing. 

And still thy branches bend. 
Old tree ! the storm still brave ; 

And, woodman, leave the spot ; 
While I've a hand to save. 

Thy ax shall harm it not. 

— George P. Morris. 

We can imagine a scene where a man of mid- 
dle age is pleading with a woodchopper avIio is 
about to hew down an old oak tree. 

In stanzas 1 and 2 we have the man, earnestly 
requesting that the tree be spared. His reasons 
are purely pia-sonal and selfish. Tlu^ oak in llu* 



62 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 

past has been in a sense a protector and a well- 
known landmark, planted years ago by an 
ancestor. 

Stanza 3 is rich in sentiment. In an effective 
manner the man cites instances from his child- 
hood and youth, which have had a tendency to 
make the tree a living part of his life. Some of 
the most impressive and sacred events of his 
life have centered about this tree. 

Stanza 4 contains both a promise and a 
threat. The first part of the stanza, those lines 
addressed to the oak, demonstrates very clearly 
how great his affection for the tree is. The 
speaker also promises that the tree will be 
spared so that it can continue to serve as it has 
served in the past, and, addressing the woods- 
man, vows that as long as he is able to make a 
resistance, no one shall harm the oak. 



THE CHILDREN'S HOUR 

HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW 

Longf(41ow loved children, as they loved him. 
His last visitors were four school boys who had 
read his poems, and wished to know their 
writer. The white-haired poet entertained the 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 63 

boys throughout a delightful afternoon, show- 
ing them the rooms of the old house which had 
been Washington's headquarters in Cambridge, 
at the beginning of the Revolution. 

It was in this old house, the home of the 
family for many years, that The Children's 
Hour was written. The children were the three 
little daughters of the poet, and the evening 
romp with their father was a regular custom, 
just as Longfellow describes it in his verses. 

^^ Grave Alice and laughing Allegra and 
Edith with golden hair'' grew to be women 
many years ago, and Edith died in July, 1916. 
Their old home is in other hands. Everything 
is changed; but The Children's Hour still tells 
us how Longfellow loved the children. 



THE CHILDREN'S HOUR 



TYPE: NARRATIVE POEM 

Between the dark and the daylight, 
When the night is beginning to h)wer, 

Comes a pause in the day's occupations, 
That is known as the Children's Hour 



64 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 

I hear in the chamber above me 

The patter of little feet, 
The sound of a door that is opened, 

And voices soft and sweet. 

From my study I see in the lamplight, 
Descending the broad hall stair. 

Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra, 
And Edith with golden hair. 

A whisper, and then a silence ; 

Yet I know by their merry eyes 
They are plotting and planning together 

To take me by surprise. 

A sudden rush from the stairway, 

A sudden raid from the hall ! 
By three doors left unguarded 

They enter my castle wall ! 

They climb up into my turret 

O 'er the arms and back of my chair ; 

If I try to escape they surround me; 
They seem to be everywhere. 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 65 

They almost devour me with kisses. 
Their arms about me entwine, 

Till I think of the Bishop of Bingen 
In his Mouse-Tower on the Rhine! 

Do you think, O blue-eyed banditti, 
Because you have scaled the wall, 

Such an old mustache as I am 
Is not a match for you all ! 

I have you fast in my fortress, 

And will not let you depart, 
But put you down into the dungeon 

In the round-tower of my heart. 

And there will I keep you forever, 

Yes, forever and a day, 
Till the walls shall crumble to ruin, 

And moulder in dust away! 

— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 

Used hy permission of, and hy special arrangement ivith, 
Houghton Mifflin Company. 

To lower — to dai'koii, in dusk or twhglit. 
Patter — succession of light sounds. 



66 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Fart I 

Study — the room where Longfellow studied 
and wrote his poems. 

Golden — yellow. 

Raid — sudden attack. 

Castle ivall — the walls of his study. 

Turret — a small tower, — here it refers to his 
lap, lifted above the floor by his chair. 

Entivine — to wind about. 

Bishop of Bingen . . . Mouse-Toiver. — This 
is a reference to the German legend of Bishop 
Hatto, who is said to have stored away great 
quantities of grain on an island in the Rhine, 
in order to get high prices for it from the 
people, at a time of famine. The anger of the 
peasants at this unfeeling conduct was so 
great that he was forced to take refuge in 
this very tower, here he is supposed to have 
been devoured by the swarms of rats and mice 
which had been attracted there by the stores of 
grain he had gathered. 

Banditti — brigands or robbers. 

Scaled — climbed. 

Old mustache — a wise old warrior, — from the 
fact that in days of old the soldicn-s eultivatcMl 
their mustaches. 

Fortress — a stronghold, — in this case his 
affections. 



Part 1] THE FRIENDLY POETS 67 

Dungeon — a cell, usually underground. 

Round-tower — usually the strongest part of 
a castle, and most difficult of access ; hence, most 
difficult to escape from. 

COLUMBIA, THE GEM OF THE OCEAN 

There has been considerable dispute as to 
just who wrote this song. It seems probable 
that the idea and the name originated with 
David T. Shaw, at whose suggestion the words 
and music were written by an actor friend, 
Thomas a Becket. The song was first heard 
in America in Philadelphia in 1843, when it was 
sung on the stage of the Chestnut Street 
Theater. 

Several versions of the words, especially of 
the third verse, are current, and it is very dif- 
ficult to determine which should be accepted as 
the original. It may be said, however, that th(^ 
version of the third verse, which begins ''Old 
Glory to greet now come hither," is probably 
a later revision, as the phrase ''Old Glory" 
does not seem to have been used until sliortly 
before the Civil War. The version here givcMi 
is at least as good as any other, and better tlian 
some. 



68 THE FRIEXDLY POETS [Part 1 



O COLUMBIA, THE GEM OF THE OCEAN* 

TYPE: MAKTIAL LYRIC 

O Columbia, the gem of the ocean. 

The home of the brave and the free. 
The shrine of each patriot's devotion, 

A world offers homage to thee! 
Thy mandates make heroes assemble, 

AVhen Liberty's form stands in view: 
Thy banners make Tyranny tremble, 

When borne by the Red, White, and Blue. 

When war winged its wide desolation 

And threatened the land to deform, 
The ark then of Freedom's foundation, 

Columbia rode safe through the storm; 
With her garlands of vict 'ry around her, 

A^Tien so proudly she bore her brave crew, 
With her flag proudly floating before her, 

The boast of the Red, White, and Blue. 

* Musical setting bv Thomas a Becket, in Academy Song 
Bool', Assembly Songs, Book of a TJwusand Songs, Franklin 
Square Song Collection, Xo. 1 ; Golden Book, Most Popular 
Home Songs, Most Popular Songs of Patriotism, Eiverside Song 
Book, Songs of the Flag. 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 69 

The star-spangled banner bring hither, 

O'er Columbia's true sons let it wave; 
May the wreaths they have won never 
wither, 

Nor its stars cease to shine on the brave. 
May the service united ne'er sever, 

But they to their colors prove true! 
The Army and Navy forever! 

Three cheers for the Red, White, and 
Blue. 

Banners — in the first verse, probably has the 
original meaning of the word ; the devices, mot- 
toes, or emblems on a piece of cloth or fabric 
fastened at both ends to ropes or poles. 

Ark — refers, of course, to the Bible story of 
the ark by which Noah and his family were 
saved from the flood. 

Under the name Britannia, the Gem of the 
Ocean, the English have adapted this song for 
their own use. 



70 THE FRIES DLY POETS [Part I 

A SONG 

JAME8 WHITCOMB KiLEY 

Somo one has taken the trouble to count. 
Thirty-five different flowers bloom in Riley's 
verses, forty-three different kinds of trees are 
mentioned by name ; forty-seven different birds 
flit through his lines. When Riley sings, you 
hear the ripple of brooks, the busy hum of bees^ 
and the stir of wings in the tree-tops. 

Riley was ''the people's poet," the poet of 
fresh air, and of all out-doors. He loved the 
green earth, and all that lived or moved upon 
it, and ever^^here, he said, was poetry un- 
written but singing, — ''unwrit poetry by the 
acre. ' ' 

A SONG 

TYPE: LYRIC (SONG) 

There is ever a song somewhere, my dear ; 

There is ever a something sings alway : 
There's the song of the lark when the skies 
are clear, 
And the song of the thrush when the skies 
are gray. 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 71 

The sunshine showers across the grain, 
And the bluebird trills in the orchard 
trees ; 

And in and out, when the eaves drip rain, 
The swallows are twittering ceaselessly. 

There is ever a song somewhere, my dear, 
Be the skies above or dark or fair, 

There is ever a song that our hearts may 
hear — 

There is ever a song somewhere, my dear — 
There is ever a song somewhere! 

There is ever a song somewhere, my dear. 
In the midnight black, or the mid-day 
blue: 
The robin pipes when the sun is here. 

And the cricket chirrups the whole night 
through. 
The buds may blow, and the fruit may grow. 
And the autumn leaves drop crisp and 
sear ; 
But whether the sun, or tlie rain, or the 
snow, 
Thei'e is ovcm* a song soniowhore, my d(\nr. 



72 THE FRIENDLY POETS (Part I 

There is ever a song somewliert^, my dear, 
Be the skies above or dark or fair. 

There is ever a song that our hearts may 
hear — 

There is ever a song somewhere, my dear — 
There is ever a song somewhere! 

— James AVhitcomb Riley. 

From the Biographical Edition of the Complete Works of 
James Whitcomb Rilev. Cop\Tight 1913. Used by special per- 
mission of the publishers. The Bobbs-Merrill Company. 

In this poem Eiley interprets a song as mean- 
ing a message of joy, anything that lends a note 
of optimism. He nses Xature as the means of 
commnnieating to us the joy there is in the 
workl. At all times — day or night — sunshine or 
storm — ^joyous or sorrowful moments — whether 
we are happy or depressed — nature has a mes- 
sage of joy for us. The hirds, the flowers, the 
snow, the rain, all have a happy message for us. 



Part IJ THE FRIENDLY POETS 73 

THE FIRST SNOAV-FALL 

JAMES EUSSELL LOWELL 

Lowell's first cliild, Blanclie, died in 1847, 
only a year old, and was buried in Mount 
Auburn Cemetery, so close to Lowell's home on 
the edge of Cambridge, that the little grave 
could almost be seen from his windows. 

This was the greatest sorrow of the poet's 
life. The baby's tiny shoe hung over a picture 
in his writing-room for many years, and at least 
three of his poems speak out his grief. These 
are. She Came and Went, The Changeling, and 
The First Snoiv-falL 

THE FIRST SNOW-FALL* 

TYPE: LYRIC 

The snow had begun in the gloaming, 

And busily all the night 
Had been heaping field and liiglnvay 

With a silence deep and Avhite. 

* Musical sottin<^ by Mary H. l^h^lnnIl, in (liihf's Sotuj 
Treasury. 



74 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 

Every pine and fir and hemlock 
Wore ermine too dear for an earl, 

And the iMMjrest tsvig on the elm-tree 
Was ridged inch deep with pearl. 

From sheds new-roofed with Carrara 
Came Chanticleer's muflled crow, 

The stiff rails softened to swan's-down. 
And still fluttered down the snow. 

I stood and watched by the window 
The noiseless work c^f the sky. 

And the sudden fliuaies of snow-bii-ds. 
Like brown leaves whii^ling by. 

I thought of a moimd in sweet Aubiun 
Where a little headstone stood; 

How the flakes were folding it gently, 
As did robins the babes in the wood. 

Up spoke our own little Mabel, 

Saying, ** Father, who makes it snowf 

And I told of the good All-Father 
Who cares for us here below. 



Part T] THE FRIENDLY POETS 75 

Again I looked at the snow-fall, 
And thought of the leaden sky 

That arched o'er our first great sorrow, 
When that mound was heaped so high. 



I remembered the gradual patience 
That fell from that cloud like snow, 

Flake by flake, healing and hiding 
The scar that renewed our woe. 



And again to the child I whispered, 
^^The snow that husheth all, 

Darling, the merciful Father 
Alone can make it fall!" 



Then, with eyes that saw not, I kissed her ; 

And she, kissing back, could not know 
That my kiss was given to her sister. 

Folded close under deepening snow. 

— Jainies TvUssell Lowetj.. 

This poem iff used hy prrmi'ision of, and h\i special arratnfe- 
mcnt with, nougJtion Mifjlin Company, the autJiorizcd piih- 
Ivihcrs. 



76 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part I 

Gloaming — twilight, dusk. 

Ermine — an arctic animal, prized for its 
beautiful white fur. 

New-roofed — the snowfall gave the old 
wooden shed the appearance of a Carrara 
marble roof. 

Carrara — a village in central Italy noted for 
its quarries of beautiful white marble. 

Chanticleer — the rooster. 

Sivan's doivn — soft, fluffj^ feathers of the 
swan. 



A CHRISTMAS CAROL 

JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL 

This poem was probably written only a few 
years before Lowell's death, when he was an old 
man, — old and touched by sorrow. Twice he 
had been married, and both wives were dead. 
Of his four children, only one lived to grow up; 
so it is not surprising. that he felt that mucli of 
his life was buried. 

He was Minister to Spain for several years; 
and tlien Minister to England, where his second 
wife died. When he returned to his old home 
in Cambridge, it seemed as though he had come 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 77 

into a world of ghosts, in which he Avas obliged 
to slowly make himself at home. 

It was probably at this time, however, that 
the old man wrote this carol, so simple and so 
full of faith for this world and the next. 



A CHRISTMAS CAROL 

For the Sunday-School children of the Church 
of the Disciples. 

TYPE: LYKIC 

^'What means this glory round our feet,'' 
The Magi mused, ^^more bright than 
morn ? ' ' 

And voices chanted clear and sweet, 
^^ To-day the Prince of Peace is born!'' 

'^What means that star," the Shepherds 
said, 
'^That brightens through the rocky 
glen?" 
And angels, ansv^^ering overhead. 

Sang, ^M^oac^o on earth, good-will to 
men!" 



78 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part 1 

'Tis eighteen hundred years and more 
Shice those sweet oracles ^Ye^e dumb ; 

We wait for Him, like them of yore ; 
Alas, He seems so slow to come! 

But it was said, in words of gold 
No time or sorrow e'er shall dim, 

That little children might be bold 
In perfect trust to come to Him. 

All round about our feet shall shine 
A light like that the wise men saw, 

If we our loving wills incline 

To that sweet Life which is the Law. 

So shall we learn to understand 
The simple faith of shepherds then, 

And, clasping kindly hand in hand, 

Sing, ^^ Peace on earth, good- will to men!" 

And they who do their souls no wrong. 
That keep at eve the faith of morn, 

Shall daily hear the angel-song, 

^'To-day the Prince of Peace is born!" 

— James Russell Lowell. 

Used hy permission of, and h}/ special arrangement with, 
Houghton Mifflin Company, the authorized publishers. 



Part I] THE FRIENDLY POETS 79 

The Magi were aware of the birth of Christ 
by the brightness and glory of the light about 
them, which, the Angels said, was a sign of the 
coming of the Prince of Peace. The Angels 
told the Shepherds that the bright star meant 
that Christ had come and with His coming 
^^ Peace on earth, good will to men.'' 

The last three verses give the meaning of the 
poem. Little children, with absolute confidence 
and trust should not hesitate to come to Christ, 
for, the same light which shone about the Magi, 
will shine about us if we will surrender our- 
selves to Christ. Moreover, we shall also under- 
stand the same message given the Shepherds, 
and will appreciate the worth of the message, 
^^ Peace on earth, good will to men." 

Magi — the three wise men who awaited the 
coming of Christ, and brought Him presents. 

Shepherd — refers to the Shepherds in the 
Biblical account of the Christmas Eve. 

That sweet Life that is the Laiv — refers to 
Christ. 



PART II 

PAGE 

An Incident of the French Camp .... Robert Browning 83 

Sheridan's Ride Thomas Buchanan Read 87 

Bugle Song Alfred Tennyson 92 

How Doth the Little Busy Bee Isaac Watts 95 

A Mother Thought Edgar A . Guest 97 

A Farewell Charles Kingsley 101 

The Cloud Percy Bysshe Shelley 103 

The Blue and the Gray Francis Miles Finch 109 

The Spacious Firmajnent Joseph Addison 115 

The Old Oaken Bucket Samuel Woodworth 118 

The Three Bells John Greenleaf Whittier 122 

The Violet Jane Taylor 125 

To a Skylark Percy Bysshe Shelley 128 

The Star-Spangled Banner Francis Scott Key 136 

To-night F. /. IF. 141 

A Patriotic Creed Edgar A. Guest 143 

The Chambered Nautilus Oliver Wendell Holmes 147 

The Charge of the Light Brigade Alfred Tennyson 151 

Concord Hymn Ralph Waldo Emerson L58 

The Destruction of Sennacherib . . . George Gordon Byron 161 

To a Waterfowl William Cidlen Bryant 166 

Recessional Rudyard Kipling 170 

A Tribute to Columbus Joaquin Miller 175 

O Cai)tain, My Captain Walt Whitman 181 

Gettysburg Address Abraham Lincoln 185 

Ye Mariners of England Thomas Campbell 189 

In Flanders Fields Lieut. Col. John McCrae 193 

In Flanders Fields (an answer) C. B. Galbrailh 197 

Promoted John O.xcnham 199 

Mercy William Shakespeare 202 

Daffodils William Wordsworth 206 



81 



INCIDENT OF THE FRENCH CAMP 

EOBEET BROWNING 

Eatisbon is an old town in Bavaria, on the 
south bank of the Danube. This incident has 
been confirmed as an actual happening on the 
battlefield, when Napoleon was storming the 
city, in 1809. The hero, however, was a man, 
not a boy. 

The Austrians were strongly entrenched, and 
the battle had lasted several days, when Napo- 
leon ordered General Lannes to storm the place. 
For a long time the result was doubtful, but 
Lannes finally forced his way into the town. 



INCIDENT OF THE FKENCH CAMP 

TYPE: NAERATIVE POEM 

You know, we French stonned Ratisbon: 

A mile or so away, 
On a little mound, Napoleon 

Stood on our stormiiig-day ; 
83 



84 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

With neck out-thnist, you fancy how, 

Legs wide, arms locked behind, 
As if to balance the prone brow 

Oppressive with its mind. 

Jnst as perhaps he mused ^^My plans 

That soar, to earth may fall. 
Let once my army-leader Lannes 

Waver at yonder wall,'' — 
Out 'twixt the battery-smokes there flew 

A rider, bound on bound 
Full-galloping ; nor bridle drew 

Until he reached the mound. 

Then off there flung in smiling joy, 

And held himself erect 
By just his horse's mane, a boy: 

You hardly couhl suspect — 
(So tight he kept his lips compressed, 

Scarce any blood came through) 
You looked twice ere you saw his breast 

Was all but shot in two. 

^^Well," cried he, ^^Emperor, by God's grace 

We've got you Ratisbon ! 
The Marshal's in the mnrket-place, 

And you'll bo tlicT-o nnou 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 85 

To see your flag-bird flap his vans, 

Where I, to heart's desire, 
Perched him!" The chief's eye flashed; his plans 

Soared np again like fire. 

The Chief's eye flashed ; but presently 

Softened itself, as sheathes 
A film the mother-eagle's eye 

When her bruised eaglet breathes ; 
^^You're wounded!" ^^Nay," the soldier's pride 

Touched to the quick, he said: 
^^I'm killed, Sire!" And, his chief beside, 

Smiling the boy fell dead. 

— Robert Browis^ing. 

In the first line ^Sve French'' gives the im- 
pression that the tale is being told by a spec- 
tator. Here we have a good description of 
Napoleon watching the course of events from 
an elevated position while his men are storming 
Ratisbon. While he is anxiously in doubt and 
possibly is contemplating that all liis schemes 
will fail if the city is not taken, a rider gallops 
madly to the mound. 

Stanza three describes the rider — a uum-o lad 
who has been severely wounded and evid(Mitly is 
in great pain, a fact which lu^ is striviiu;- to cou- 



86 THE FRIEXDLY POETS [Part II 

ceal. He is a messenger from the scene of bat- 
tle. He amiomices that the Marshal (General 
Lannes) has taken the city, and that Napoleon 
will be able to see his standard flying in the 
market place, as he, the messenger, was one 
who helped put it there. The first expression 
given by Napoleon is one of relief that his plans 
are working as he wished. Then, as a mother 
eagle feels at seeing her wonnded eaglet, Napo- 
leon's eyes soften as he notices the lad is 
wonnded. The lad, however, is too proud to 
have his General note his condition, and smiling 
falls dead at the side of the one whom he loved 
to serve. 

This poem gives ns the spirit of devotion and 
love which Napoleon's troops held for their 
General, wliom they worshiped. 

Ratisbon — an important city in Bavaria on 
the right bank of the Danube. 

Mound — slight elevation, a knoll. 

Storming day — the day the French captured 
the city. 

Prone — bending forward. 

Lannes — one of Napoleon's ablest generals. 

Flag-bird — Napoleon's standard was topped 
with an eagle. 

Vans — means wings of the eagle. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 87 

Film is the subject of sheathes. 
Touched to the quick — deeply stirred or 
touched. 

SHERIDAN'S RIDE 

THOMAS BUCHANAN READ 

Thomas B. Read, artist and poet (1822-1872) 
wrote numerous poems. But few of these 
brought him any appreciable notice. The most 
popular of them, Sheridan's Ride, appeared in 
1865. 

One of the most stubbornly contested places 
in the Civil War was the Shenandoah Valley. 
To be sure that this fertile and valuable section 
should not prove a source of supply or aid to 
the South, Sheridan was ordered to devastate 
the entire region. This was rather thoroughly 
done. Having posted his army, Sheridan went 
to Washington, on official business. On his Avay 
back to camp, he learned at Winchester, tliirteen 
miles from his headquarters, that a battle was 
in progress. 

^^In three columns. General Early had made 
a furious assault at dawn on tho 19th of Octo- 
ber, 1864. The surpi'ise was so gn^at thai in 
fifteen minutes the foremost corps of tln^ Na- 



88 THE FRIES DLY POETS [Part II 

tional Army was retreating in disorder. The 
panic spread to the remainder of the army, 
Avhich retreated for several miles, losing men, 
materials and cannon. 

^^At that critical minute Sheridan appeared 
on the field. . . . He had ridden leisurely out of 
Winchester southward, but soon met the van of 
fugitives, who told a dreadful tale of disaster. 
Ordering his escort to follow, he put his horse 
on a swinging gallop, and at that pace rode 
nearly twelve miles to the front. The fugitives 
came thicker and thicker every moment. He 
did not stop to chide or coax, but, waving his 
hat as liis horse thundered on over the magnifi- 
cent stone road, he shouted to the cheering 
crowds, ^Face the other way, boys! face the 
other way! We are going back to our camp. 
We are going to lick them out of their boots.' 

*' Instantly the tide of retreating troops 
turned and followed after the young general. 
As he dashed along the lines and rode in front 
of reforming regiments, he gave a word of cheer 
to all. He declared they should have all those 
camps and cannon back again. The reformed 
army advanced in full force. ... A general and 
severe struggle ensuinl. The whole Confeder- 
ate army was soon in full and tumultuous re- 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 89 

treat up the valley toward Fisher's Hill. . . . 
That night the Nationals occupied their old po- 
sition at Cedar Creek. The promise of Sheri- 
dan, ^We will have all the camps and cannon 
back again, ' was fulfilled. ' ' — From Harper 's 
EncyclopcEclia of United States History. 

Used by i)ermission of Harper & Brothers, publishers. 



SHERIDAN'S RIDE 

TYPE: WAR LYRIC 

Up from the South at break of day, 

Bringing to Winchester fresh dismay, 

The affrighted air with a shudder bore, 

Like a herald in haste, to the chieftain's door, 

The terrible grumble, and rumble, and roar, 

Telling the battle was on once more, 

And Sheridan twenty miles away. 

And wider still those billows of war 

Thundered along the horizon's bar; 

And louder yet into AVinchester rolled 

The roar of that red sea uncontrolled, 

Making the blood of the listener cold, 

As lie thought of the sl:ik(^ in that li(M'v fray, 

And Sh(M'i(lan twc^ntv uiih^s awjiv. 



90 THE FRIENDLY POETS [¥akt II 

But there is a road from Winchester town, 

A good, broad highway leading down; 

And there, through the flush of the morning light, 

A steed as black as the steeds of night. 

Was seen to pass, as wdth eagle flight. 

As if he knew the terrible need ; 

He stretched away with his utmost speed ; 

Hills rose and fell ; but his heart was gay. 

With Sheridan fifteen miles away. 

Still sprung from those swift hoofs, thundering 

South, 
The dust, like smoke from the cannon's mouth ; 
Or the trail of a comet, sweeping faster and faster, 
Foreboding to traitors the doom of disaster. 
The heart of the steed and the heart of the master 
Were beating like prisoners assaulting their walls, 
Impatient to be where the battle-fiekl calls ; 
Every nerve of the charger was strained to full play. 
With Sheridan only ten miles away. 

Under his spurning feet the road 

Like an arrowy Alpine river flowed, 

And the landscape sped away behind 

Like an ocean flying before the w^ind, 

And the steed, like a barque fed with furnace ire, 

Swept on, with his wild eye full of fire. 

But lo! he is nearing his heart's desire; 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 91 

He is snuffing the smoke of the roaring fray, 
With Sheridan only five miles away. 

The first that the general saw were the groups 
Of stragglers, and then the retreating troops. 
What was done ? what to do ? a glance told him both ; 
Then, striking his spurs, with a terrible oath, 
He dashed down the line, 'mid a storm of huzzas. 
And the wave of retreat checked its course there, 

because 
The sight of the master compelled it to pause. 
With foam and with dust, the black charger was gray. 
By the flash of his eye, and the red nostril's play, 
He seemed to the whole great army to say, 
^^I have brought you Sheridan all the way 
From Winchester, down to save the day!" 

Hurrah ! hurrah for Sheridan ! 

Hurrah ! hurrah for horse and man ! 

And when their statues are placed on high, 

Under the dome of the Union skv, 

The American soldiers' Temple of Fame, 

There with the glorious generaFs name 

Be it said, in letters both l)old and bright, 

^^Hcrc is the stood that saved tlio day, 

By carrying Sheridan into tlie (iglit. 

From Winchester, twenty mih»s away.'" 

— Thomas Buchanan Ri:ai). 



92 THE FRIEXDLY POETS [Part II 

The meaning of the poem is very clear, and 
needs little explanation. Some of the facts given 
are rather exaggerated. 

Eead gives us three central thoughts — ^the sit- 
uation leading to the famous ride, the descrip- 
tion of the ride, the credit justly due, not only 
to Sheridan but to his gallant steed. 

Do you know of other famous rides that have 
been described in poems? 

THE BUGLE SONG 
From The Princess 

ALFRED TEXXYSOX 

'^Through that song," says Aubrey de Vere, 
'*Killarney will be recaHed to the memory of 
many who have seen yet half forgotten it. . . . 
They will see again, as in a dream, the reach 
of its violet-colored waters where they reflect 
the ^Purple Mountain,' the ^Elfland' of its 
Black VaHey; *Croom-a-doof,' the silver river 
that winds and flashes through wood and rock, 
connecting tlie mystic ^ Upper Lake,' and tlie 
beetling rock of the * Eagle's Nest,' with the two 
larger and sunnier but not lovelier lakes. 
Before them again will rise Dinis Island, with 
its embowered coves and their golden sands, the 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 93 

mountain gardens of Glena lianntod by mur 
murs of the cascade, not distant, but shrouded 
by the primeval oak-woods. They will look 
again on that island, majestic at once, and 
mournful, Innisfallen, its gray-stemmed and 
solemn groves, its undulating lawns, Avhich em- 
bosom the ruins of that Abbey, the shelter from 
century to century of Ireland's Annalists. . . . 
As the vision fades, their eyes will rest long on 
the far mountains that girdle all that beauty, 
mountains here and there dark with those yew- 
forests through which the wild deer of old es- 
caped from the stag-hounds of MacCarthymore. 
It is marvelous that so many of the chief char- 
acteristics of Killarney should have found place 
in a poem, so short." — From Hallam Tenny- 
son's Memoir of Alfred Tennyson. 

THE BUGLE SOXG -^ 

TYPE: LYBIC 

The splendor falls on castle walls 

And snowy summits old in story ; 
The long lio;lit shakes across the lakes, 

And the wild cataract leai)s in glory. 

Blow, biiii'le, blow, s(^t tli(^ wild echoes flyiuii', 

r>low, biii{le; miswcM', (n-lioes, dyiii^', dyinii;, dyini!:. 

* Musical Rottiii<;' by Sii- Jl(M-bor( Oakcly, in Soiujs from 
Tennyson. 



94 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Fart II 

O harkj O hear I how thin and clear, 
And thinner, clearer, farther going! 

O sweet and far from cliff and scar 

The horns of Elf -land faintly blowing! 

Blow, let ns hear the pnrple glens replying: 

Blow, bugle; answer, echoes, dying, dying, dying. 

O love, they die in yon rich sky, 

They faint on hill or field or river; 

Onr echoes roll from soul to sonl, 
And grow for ever and for ever. 

Blow, bugle, blow, set the wild echoes flying, 

And answer, echoes, answer, dying, dying, dying. 

— Alfred Texxysox. 

Tennyson made a tour of the Killarney coun- 
try in 1847. One day as he was enjoying the 
gorgeous sunset on the peaceful Killarney Lake 
the stillness and peace of the hour were broken 
by a blast of a boatman's bugle on the other 
side of the lake. This incident furnished inspi- 
ration for writing this little gem of literature. 

Snoivy summits old in story — there is a great 
mass of legc^nd concerning this country. 

Cataract—^ great fall of water over a preci- 
pice. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 95 

Scar — a bare or broken place on the side of 
a cliff or mountain. 

Horns of Elf-land — Tennyson likens the thin 
clear echoes to the horns of fairyland. 

Purple glens — What color does the glen take 
just at sunset? Does the term ^^ purple" give 
us the idea that Tennyson is a keen observer of 
nature and a true color artist? 

Cf. poem with Moore's Echoes and Longfel- 
low's Arrow and the Song, 

HOW DOTH THE LITTLE BUSY BEE 

ISAAC WATTS 

Dr. Isaac Watts probably made the longest 
visit that anyone ever made. He had been very 
sick, and when he began to get well, a friend 
took him to his own home for a visit. Watts 
expected to stay for only a week, but his friends 
took such care of him, and were so glad to have 
him with them, that he did not leave for thirty 
years. 

It was long before this, when he was a young 
man, that he wrote about the ^^busy bee." He 
was teaching a family of children, and bet\v(HMi 
lesson-times, amused himself by writing verses 
for them. Let dogs delight to harlx and hitr. 



96 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

'Tis the voice of the sluggard, Hoir doth the 
little busy hee, and his cradle song, Hush, my 
dear, lie still and slumber, were all written for 
these children whom he taught and played with. 



HOW DOTH THE LITTLE BUSY BEE ^ 

TYPE: DIDACTIC 

How doth the little busy bee 

Improve each shining hour, 
And gather honey all the day 

From every opening flow'r! 

How skilfully she builds her cell ! 

How neat she spreads the wax ! 
And labors hard to store it well 

With the sweet food she makes. 

In works of labor or of skill, 

I would be busv too: 
For Satan finds some mischief still 

For idle hands to do. 

In books, or work, or healthful play, 

Let my first years be past. 

That I may give for ev^ry day 

Some good account at last. 

— Isaac Watts. 
• Musical sotting, Anonymous, in WiUis CoUection, Xo. 85. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 97 

The poet has one message — like the bee, let 
us emplo}^ the summer time of life in profitable 
and ceaseless industry, so that we will be able to 
show a good record of accomplishment when 
the winter time of life comes. The central 
thought of each stanza is easily comprehended. 

Stanza 1. — Pictures the bee using every op- 
portunity to gather honey. 

Stanza 2. — A tribute, not only to her indus- 
try but to the remarkable skill . she shows in 
storing the honey. 

Stanza 3. — The poet observes that idle people 
soon get tliemselves into trouble, so like the 
bee, he will keep busy at some work involving 
skill. 

Stanza 4. — By busy work in summer the bee 
has a good supply of food on hand. Let this be 
a lesson to us to work hard in youth so as to 
be able in old age to show the results of a life 
well spent. 



A MOTHER THOUGHT 

KDOAlx* A. CUEST 

Edgar A. Ou(\st is a h()in(^-])()(^i. Mo wrih^s 
about Home and Housc-JihhI'dh/, Wlwii l\i 



98 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

Comes Home, Canning Time, Mother's Glasses, 
and At Breakfast, 

'^It takes a heap o' livin' in a house to make 
it home," he says, and his verses tell about the 
kind of living that makes a house a home. Even 
when he writes about war, it is the home side ol* 
it that he remembers. The boy in the trenches 
thinks of the folks at home, or longingly re- 
members the garden that he worked in a year 
before. The mother at home sends out her 
heart to the son far away, and protects and 
helps him as in the days of his childhood. 



A MOTHER THOUGHT 



TYPE: SIMPLE LYRIC 



Oh, my laddie! Oh, my laddie I 

Can't you hear me bravely singing 
As I tuck the covers 'round yon, 

Or a drink to you I'm bringing? 
Do yon hear me in the night-time 

When you call in d roams that fright. 
Saying, ^^Go to sloop, my huldie, 

It will very soon be light'' ? 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 99 

Ohj my laddie! Oh, my laddie! 

Don't you know that I am near you ? 
Have the hands that once caressed you 

Lost the mother gift to cheer you ? 
Do you think the dreary distance 

Keeps the heart of me away ? 
Can't you hear me calling to you 

As I called but yesterday ? 

Oh, my laddie! Oh, my laddie! 

I have followed where you wander. 
Here the flesh of me is dwelling, 

But my soul is with you yonder. 
Yes, my soul to you is singing 

All the lullabies you knew 
In the days before this danger ' 

Made a soldier boy of you. 

Oh, my laddie! Oh, my laddie! 

Through the trials now before you, 
Through the perils of the night-time 

I shall still be watching o'er you. 
Can't you feel my mother fingers 

Smooth the hair about your brow ? 
Can't you see me, oli, my huhlie. 

Standing tlierc^ b(^si(U^ yon now? 

ElHiAK A. GUKST. 

Copyrifjht hi/ Jirillj/ ^ Lev, PuhUsJicrs. Rrpriiifcil hi/ per- 
mission. 



100 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

This is a war poem setting forth the brood- 
ing mother's thoughts of her boy who is now a 
soldier. She is trying to express to him the 
thought that she is still his mother, he still her 
laddie as of old. 

Tlie central thought is expressed in the lines, 

^'Do you think the dreary distance 
Keeps the heart of me away?" 

The main idea of each stanza can be summed 
up of follows : 

Stanza 1. — Can't you hear me singing now 
as I used to sing as I tucked the covers around 
you at night, or brought you a drink, or stilled 
your fears when you wakened before it was 
light? 

Stanza 2. — The distance which separates us 
cannot keep my heart from you ; I am near you 
still. 

Stanza 3. — Though my body is still here, my 
soul is with you over there, trying to mother 
you as before you became a soldier boy. 

Stanza 4. — Through all of the dangers and 
perils vv^hich beset you I shall be watching over 
vou as I used to do. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 101 

A FAREWELL 

CHAELES KINGSLEY 

Kingsley wrote this poem in 1856, for his 
niece, Charlotte E. Grenfell, who asked him to 
write a song in her autograph album. 

When it was published, the second verse was 
accidentally omitted, and is rarely found even 
now, in the many collections which include this 
poem. It will be noticed, also, that the other 
two verses vary considerably from the form 
usually seen. The version here given is correct, 
however, being so printed in the authorized 
version of Kingsley 's works, and in the Life by 
Mrs. Kingsley. 

A FAREWELL^ 

TYPE: LYRIC 

My fairest child, I have no song to give you : 

No lai'k could ])ipe in ski(\s so dull and gray; 

Yet, if you will, one quiet hint V\\ \v{\\c yon, 
For every day. 

^ Musical soilin<j hy IToralio C K"m«i:, in Acailrmii Sana 
Book, and by Mary B. FJirnian, in ChUd\^ Sotu/ Trrasuri/. 



102 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

I'll tell you how to sing a clearer carol 

Than lark who hails the dawn or breezy down ; 

To earn yourself a purer poet's laurel 
Than Shakespeare's crown. 

Be good, sweet maid, and let who can, be clever; 
Do lovely things, not dream them, all day long, 
And so make Life, Death, and that vast For Ever, 



One grand sweet song. 



-Charles Kingsley. 



Kingsley is saying farewell to a loved child. 
He cannot sing a joyous song, — he cannot give 
a cheering Godspeed! — for at this time he is 
overwhelmed with troubles. Yet as a parting- 
gift, he will tell how to sing a clearer song than 
the lark, to earn a fairer crown than Shake- 
speare's. This gift is the advice to do good and 
lovely things, by kindly deeds to make Life and 
all Time ^'one grand sw^eet song." 

Lark — The English skylark, noted for its 
wonderful song ; it sings on the wing, mounting 
up into the air until lost to sight. 

Pipe — lift its high pitched notes. 

Carol — a joyous song. 

Doivn — bare, hilly land. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 103 

Laurel — crown or wreath of bay given as a 
prize or honor, hence a synonym for honor. 

Shakespeare — greatest of English poets and 
dramatists who lived in the days of Queen 
Elizabeth. 

THE CLOUD 

PEECY BYSSHE SHELLEY 

Nothing gave Shelley greater pleasure than 
boating, whether rowing on English streams, 
or sailing on blue Italian waters. It is probable 
that this poem shaped itself in his mind as he 
drifted in his boat down the Thames, and idly 
watched the clouds overhead. 

But it was two years later, in 1820, and under 
cloudless Italian skies, that he put his thought 
on paper. Perhaps in that land of constant 
sunshine, a wave of homesickness swept over 
him, — a longing for the soft, vapor-veiled fii^hls 
of England, for the velvet grass, and the varied 
beauty of clouds. 

The poem, as a whole, is as accurate and as 
truthful as if it were a scientific treatise on 
the cloud, though the language of tlie second 
verse is, in part, rather vague. SheUey, per- 
haps, beli(^v(Hl tiuit (^l(^ctric roi'C(\<; in llu^ (^arlli 



104 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

influence the movements of clouds, and so says 
that the pilot, lightning, guides the cloud 
toward this force, or spirit. 

THE CLOUD 

TYPE: SIMPLE LYRIC 

I bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers, 

From the seas and the streams; 
I bear light shade for the leaves when laid 

In their noon-day dreams. 
From my wings are shaken the dews that waken 

The sweet buds every one, 
When rocked to rest on their mother's breast. 

As she> dances in the sun. 
I wield the flail of the lashing hail. 

And whiten the green plains under; 
And then again I dissolve it in rain, 

And laugh as I pass in thunder. 

I sift the snow on the mountains below, 

And their great pines groan aghast; 
And all the night 'tis my pillow white, 

Wliile \ slc^ep in tlie arms of the blast. 
Sublime on the towers of my skiey bowers. 

Lightning, my pilot, sits; 
In a cavern under is fettered the thunder. 

It struggles and howls at fits; 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 105 

Over earth and ocean, with gentle motion, 

This pilot is guiding me, 
Lured by the love of the genii that move 

In the depths of the purple sea; 
Over the rills, and the crags, and the hills. 

Over the lakes and the plains, 
Wherever he dream, under mountain or stream, 

The Spirit he loves remains; 
And I, all the while, bask in Heaven's blue smile. 

Whilst he is dissolving in rains. 



The sanguine Sunrise, with his meteor eyes. 

And his burning plumes outspread 
Leaps on the back of my sailing rack. 

When the morning-star shines dead; 
As on the jag of a mountain crag, 

AVhich an earthquake rocks nnd swings, 
An eagle, alit one moment may sit 

In the light of its golden wings. 
And when Sunset may breathe, from the lit sea 
beneath. 

Its ardors of rest and love, 
And the crimson pall of cvc may fall 

From the de[)ths of ITc^aven above, 
With wings folded I rcvst, on mine aery nest, 

As still as a brooding dove. 



106 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

That orbed maiden, with white fire laden, 

Whom mortals call the Moon, 
Glides glimmering o'er my fleece-like floor, 

By the midnight breezes strewn; 
And wherever the beat of her unseen feet. 

Which onlv the ana'els hee'* 
May have broken the woof of my tent's thin roof, 

The stars peep behind her and peer ; 
And I langh to see them whirl and flee. 

Like a swarm of golden bees. 
When I widen the rent in my wind-bnilt tent. 

Till the calm rivers, lakes, and seas. 
Like strips of the sky fallen through me on high, 

Are each paved with the moon and these. 

I bind the Sun's throne with a burning zone, 

And the Moon's with a girdle of pearl; 
The volcanoes are dim, and the stars reel and swim, 

^Mien the whirlwinds my banners unfurl. 
From cape to cape, with a bridge-like shape. 

Over a torrent sea. 
Sunbeam-proof, I hang like a roof, 

The mountains its columns be. 
The triumphal arch through which T march 

With hurricane, fire, and snow, 
^^Trien the powers of the air are chained to my chair. 

Is the million-colored bow; 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 107 

The sphere-fire above its soft colors wove, 
While the moist earth was laughing below. 

— Percy Byssiie Shelley. 

Upon carefully reading this poem one gets 
the impression of a continuous series of moving 
pictures or images, each containing smaller pic- 
tures; all, however, giving an account of the 
different activities and experiences of the cloud, 
and how the cloud affects the world. In stanza 
1 there are at least five distinct pictures; in 
stanza 5, four pictures can be easily seen. And 
yet the poem is more than descriptive, it pre- 
sents a theory in regard to the purpose of the 
cloud. The cloud was an object of much thought 
and speculation on the part of the ancient and 
medieval student. Shelley pictures the cloud 
in a very striking way as an endless force, alive 
with action, energy and power, a force reveal- 
ing itself to man in various forms and ways. 
The cloud (addressing the universe in the first 
person) boasts of its activity and limitless 
power, it controls all the elements and forces, 
and its rule is eternal, for it maintains ^'I 
change, but I cannot die." 

Stanza 1 — gives an account of llu^ various 
activities of tlii^ cloud (hiriiiu' the vivir. 



108 THE FRIEXDLY POETS [Part II 

Stanza 2 — draws a picture of the security 
and power of the cloud riding the storms and 
blasts of winter. 

Stanza 3 — a beautiful picture of the cloud at 
dawn and evening. 

Stanza 4 — a picture of midnight — the clouds, 
stars, and the moon on the peaceful water. 

Stanza 5 — an expression of the power of the 
cloud over the sun, moon, stars, volcanoes, 
storm, etc. 

Their mother^s breast — a flowering bush. 

Aghast — struck dumb with terror. 

Geuil — spirits. 

Sanguine — a deep red, ^^blood" red. 

Bad' — drifting clouds. 

Jag — a projecting point, a notch. 

A rdo rs — wa rmth . 

Orbed — shaped like an orb; spherical. 

Orbed maiden — the moon, named by the 
Greeks for Diana, the maiden goddess. 

With white fire laden — the liglit of the moon 
is reflected from the sun. 

Woof — the cross threads of woven fabric. 

Paved with the moon and these — these refers 
to the stars. 

Sunbeam proof — the rays of the sun cannot 
penetrate the cloud. After tlie storm the rain- 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 109 

bow forms a triumphal arch for the cloud, when 
^^the powers of the air are chained to my 
chair. ' ' 

Sphere-fire — the sun. 

THE BLUE AND THE GRAY 

FEANCIS MILES FINCH 

No town or city in the South escaped entirely 
the ravages of our Civil War. Not least in its 
sufferings was the town of Columbus, in the 
north-eastern part of Mississippi, although no 
large body of troops, either Federal or Con- 
federate, passed directly through it. But again 
and again the tide of war rolled within a few 
miles of Columbus. Now, the Federal general, 
Pope, pursued Beauregard down to Okelona; 
now a Union brigade passed through West 
Point and Starkville, barely twenty miles from 
Columbus, tearing up railroads, burning public 
property, commandeering food and other sup- 
plies, leaving behind them the trail of war from 
Tennessee to the Gulf of Mexico. Tlie armies 
of General Hood and General Thomas were 
skirmishing for weeks just across the border, 
in Alabama, and at about the same time, 
another force of Union cavalry canu^ down from 



110 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

Tennessee, headed directly for Columbus. A 
body of Confederates, however, checked them at 
Egypt, a few miles north, and Columbus thus 
escaped being occupied by a large force of either 
army. But the skirmishers, the foragers, small 
detachments of both Federals and Confeder- 
ates, constantly visited the town, levying upon 
all available supplies of food, forage, or ammu- 
nition, and bringing home to the inhabitants the 
meaning of war. 

In the cemetery, outside the city, lie soldiers 
of both sides, many of them in unnamed graves. 
It is hardly possible for us to imagine the bitter 
feeling which existed between the North and the 
South at that time. The Southern women, in 
particular, who saw the war at their very doors, 
hated the North and its soldiers with a fierce- 
ness that lasted for many years after the 
struggle was over. 

But this hatred did not extend to the wounded 
or the dead. Like the Mexican women who gave 
help and comfort to the wounded American in- 
vaders on the battle-field of Buena Vista, so the 
women of the South manifested no animosity 
toward the men who were suffering. The 
wounded soldier from Vermont was as tenderly 
cared for as one from Virginia. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS ill 

Nowhere was this spirit better shown than 
in Columbus. In 1867, two years after the sur- 
render of General Lee^ memorial services were 
held in Columbus in honor of the Confederate 
dead. As part of the ceremonies, the women 
and children of the town strewed flowers upon 
the graves, and this they did impartially — 
' ' alike for the friend and the foe. ' ' Their beau- 
tiful action touchecj the hearts of all in the 
North, and moved Francis Miles Finch to write 
this poem, which has, in turn, done much to 
obliterate sectional bitterness. 



THE BLUE AND THE GKAY ^ 

TYPE: LYRIC 

By the flow of the inland river, 

Whence the fleets of iron have fled, 
Where the blades of the grave-grass quiver, 
Asleep are the ranks of the dead, — 
Under the sod and the dew, 

Waiting the judgment day ; 
Under the one, the Bhie; 
Under the other, the Gray. 

* Musical setting by Roys Bridgnian, in Assrmhlif Soups and 
Songs of the Flag and Nation. 



112 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

These in the robings of glory; 

Those in the gloom of defeat ; 
All, with the battle-blood gory, 
In the dusk of eternity meet, — 
Under the sod and the dew, 

Waiting the judgment day; 
Under the laurel, the Bine; 
Under the willow, the Gray. 



From the silence of sorrowful hours 

The desolate mourners go, 
Lovingly laden with flowers. 

Alike for the friend and the foe ; 
Under the sod and the dew, 

Waiting the judgment day; 
Under the roses, the Blue; 
Under the lilies, the Gray. 

So, with an equal splendor, 

The morning sun-rays fall. 
With a touch impartially tender. 

On the blossoms blooming for all, — 
Under the sod and the dew, 

Waiting the judgment day; 
Broidered with gold, the Blue; 
Mellowed with gold, the Gray. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 113 

So, when the summer calleth, 

On forest and field of grain, 
With an eqnal murmur falleth 
The cooling drip of the rain ; 
Under the sod and the dew, 

Waiting the judgment day ; 
Wet w^ith the rain, the Blue; 
Wet with the rain, the Gray. 

Sadly, but not with upbraiding, 
The generous deed was done ; 
In the storm of the years that are fading 
No braver battle was won ; 
^ Under the sod and the dew. 

Waiting the judgment day ; 
Under the blossoms, the Blue; 
Under the garlands, the Gray. 

No more shall the war-cry sever, 

Or the winding rivers be red ; 
They banish our anger forever. 

When they laurel the graves of our dead ; 
Under the sod and the dew, 

Waiting tlie judgment day; 
Love and tears, for the Blue; 
T(^ars niid lov^o, for the Gray. 

Printed by permission of Unwii Ih^lt Cif ComjxDiu, ruhlishrrs 
of the Poems of Fravvis Miles hliicii. 



114 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

The poem suggests the following ideas : 

1. The war is over; the strife is forgotten; 
both sides have their sleeping ranks of dead. 

2. Those who fought and died as enemies 
here, are not meeting as enemies in Heaven. 

3. Nature loved and cherished the one as well 
as the other. 

4. The greatest victory of the war was won 
when the people, like Nature, loved and re- 
spected the fallen heroes on each side. 

5. The annual ceremony of Memorial D-ay 
makes impossible any future strife between the 
North and the South. 

Decoration Day was inaugurated by GenePal 
John Logan while he was Commander-in-Chief 
of the Grand Army of the Republic. He issued 
a general order recommending that May 30th 
be set aside as the day to honor the soldier dead. 
Since then, the custom is kept alive and the day 
declared a legal holiday by proclamation from 
the governors of each state. In the South, 
Memorial Day is commonly observed in April. 

By the fotv . . . have fled — during the Civil 
War, many gunboats were used on the Missis- 
sippi, the Tennessee, the Cumberland, and other 
Southern rivers. These gunboats were usually 
ordinary wooden river-steamers, their sides 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 115 

covered with iron plates or rails. Often a beak 
or ram was added at the bow, by means of which 
a gunboat might crush and sink an opposing 
vessel. 

Blue . . . Gray — the Federals and the Con- 
federates ; the uniform of the Northern soldiery 
in the Civil War was blue, and that of the Con- 
federates gray. 

Laurel — the tree from whose leaves were 
made wreaths for the victors in ancient contests 
of strength or skill. 

Willow — an emblem of sorrow and bereave- 
ment. 

In the storm . . . fading — the storm of war. 

They — the women of the South. 

They laurel — they decorate. 



THE SPACIOUS FIRMAMENT 

JOSEPH ADDISON 

^^The heavens declare the glory of God, and 
the firmament sheweth forth his handywork.'' 

Upon this verse of the Nineteenth Psnhn, 
Addison built his well-known liymn, of which 
Thackeray said: 



116 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

^^It soems to me. these verses shine like the 
stars. They shine out of a great, deep calm. 
Addison's sense of religion stirs through his 
whole being. In the fields, in the toAvn, looking 
at the birds in th^ trees, or at the children in 
the streets ; in the morning or in the moonlight ; 
over his books in his own room; in a happy 
party at a country merry-making or a town 
assembly; good- will and peace to God's crea- 
tures and love of Him who made them, fill his 
pure heart, and shine from his kind face." — 
Essay on Addison, William M. Thackeray. 



THE SPACIOUS FIRMAMENT^ 

TYPE: ODE 

The spacious firmament on high, 

AVith all the blue ethereal sky, 

And spangled heavens, a shining frame, 

Their great Original proclaim. 

Th' unwearied Sun from day to day 

Does his Creator's power display. 

And publishes to every land. 

The work of an Almighty Hand. 

* Musical setting by Joseph Haydn, in BooTc of a Thousand 
JSongs; Arr. for the work in Academy Song BooTc. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 117 

Soon as the evening shades prevail^ 
The Moon takes np the wondrons tale; 
And nightly to the listening earth 
Repeats the story of her birth; 
AVhilst all the stars that ronnd her bnrn, 
And all the planets in their tnrn, 
Confirm, the tidings as they roll. 
And spread the trnth from pole to pole. 

What though in solemn silence all 
Move ronnd this dark terrestrial ball ? 
What though nor real voice, nor sound 
Amidst their radiant orbs be found ? 
In Reason's ear they all rejoice, 
And utter forth a glorious voice; 
Forever singing as they shine, 
^^The Hand that made us is divine!'' 

JOSKPTT AdDISOX. 

The central thought of the poem is that the 
universe tells the reasoning person that it Avas 
fashioned by a divine hand. 

Stanza 1 — By observing the universe durini;' 
the day, contemplating the lofty heights of tlu^ 
heavens, the ever-passing sun, the beautifully 
clouded sky, a person must feel that these av(m-(^ 
no product of chance or evolution, but ^^the 
work of an Almighty hand." 



118 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

Stanza 2 — One gets the same impression by 
studying the universe at night. The moon and 
the innumerable stars and planets seem to tell 
the same story. 

Stanza 3 — Though we have no spoken mes- 
sage from these various heavenly bodies, all we 
need do is to observe them closely and they will 
convince our reasoning powers that the uni- 
verse is the product of a divine plan. 

Firmament — the expanse of the heavens. 

Ethereal — airy, of the air. 

Spangled — as though the clouds were 
spangles on the sky. 

Original — Creator. 

Publish — announce, proclaim. 

Prevail — ^when darkness sets in. 

Confirm — prove, verify. 

Terrestrial hall — the earth. Addison ex- 
presses the idea that the universe revolves 
about the earth. Is this notion correct? 

THE OLD OAKEN BUCKET 

SAMUEL WOODWOETH 

The summer of 1817 was hot and uncomfort- 
able in the city of New York. Perspiring and 
thirsty, Samuel Woodworth came into his house 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 119 

on Duane Street, and drank a glass of water. 
Then he said to his wife: ^^How much more re- 
freshing it would be to take a good long drink 
from the old oaken bucket that used to hang in 
my father's well." 

His wife answered, ^^ Wouldn't that be a good 
subject for a poem?" 

Woodworth at once sat down and wrote a 
song which he called The Biichet, and which re- 
called to memory his old home in Scituate, 
Mass. Later the title was changed to that by 
which we know it. 



THE OLD OAKEN BUCKET ^ 

TYPE: ODE 

How dear to this heart are the scenes of my chikl- 
hood, 
When fond recollection presents them to view ! 
The orchard, the meadow, the deep-tangkd wild- 
wood, 
And every loved spot which my infancy knew ! 

* Musical setting by A. G. Kiallmark, in Assembly Songs^ 
Book of a Thousand Songs, Franklin Square, No. i; Golden 
Book, Most Popular Home Songs, Most Popular Songs of 
Patriotism, Our Familiar Songs, Bivcrsidc Song Book, Songs 
the Children Love to Sing: and by Kobort A. Smith, in Frank- 
lin Square Song Collection, No. ^. 



120 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

The wlde-spreadiiig ponclj and the mill that stood 
bv it, 

The bridge, and the rock where the cataract fell, 
The cot of my father, the dairy-house nigh it, 

And e'en the rnde bucket that hung in the well — 
The old oaken bucket, the iron-bound bucket. 

The moss-covered bucket which hung in the well. 

The moss-covered vessel, I hail'd as a treasure, 

For often at noon, when returnVl from the field, 
I found it the source of an exquisite pleasure, 

The purest and sweetest that nature can yield. 
How ardent I seized it, with hands that were glowing. 

And quick to the white-pebbled bottom it fell ; 
Then soon with the emblem of truth overflowing. 

And dripping with coolness, arose from the well — 
The old oaken bucket, the iron-bound bucket. 

The moss-covered bucket which hung in the well. 

How sweet from the green mossy rim to receive it, 

As poised on the curb it inclined to my lips ! 
l^ot a full l)liishing goblet could tempt me to leave it, 

The brightest that beauty or revelry sips. 
And now, far removed from the loved habitation. 

The tear of regret will intrusively swell, 
As fancy reverts to my father's plantation, 

And sighs for the bucket that hangs in the well. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 121 

The old oaken bucket, the iron-bound bucket, 
The moss-covered bucket that hangs in the well. 

— Samuel Wood worth. 



Recollection — ^memory. 

Infancy — youth, not babyhood. 

Cataract — waterfall. 

Cot — cottage. 

E^en — even. 

Hail — salute. 

''Emblem of truth overflowing^' — refers to 
the proverb that ^^ Truth lies at the bottom of 
a well. ' ' 

Poised on the curb — balanced on the edge of 
the well. 

Inclined — tipped. 

Full blushing goblet — bowl-shaped drinking 
glass with a stem, filled with red wine. 

Loved habitation — his boyliood home. 

Intrusively swell — flow or come unbidden. 

Fancy reverts — memory goes back. 

Plantation — an example of poetic licc^ise, tliis 
term being applied to large farms in tlu^ soutli 
or to settlements in the north; its us(^ h(M*(^ is 
due to tlie ncu^d for something to i*hynu^ with 
*^ habitation'' above. 



122 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

THE THREE BELLS 

JOHX GREEXLEAF WHITTIER 

Wliittier tells here a true story of the dangers 
of the sea in the days of sailing-vessels. 

Torn and battered by a heavy storm, an 
American ship was sinking in mid-ocean. It 
was night, and while part of the crew toiled at 
the pnmps, others fired constantly the guns that 
signalled distress. But the leak gained on them, 
the ship Avas sinking under their feet, no small 
boat could live in the storm and darkness, and 
there seemed no hope of rescue. 

And then, when it seemed almost useless to 
struggle longer, there came out of the night, 
the longed-for shout of ''Ship ahoy!" It was 
the voice of Captain Leighton, of the Scotch 
ship Three Bells, which had arrived in time to 
cheer and encourage, and finally to rescue the 
crew of the sinking vessel. 

THE -THREE BELLS'' 

TYPE: DESCRIPTIVE NARRATIVE 

Beneath the low-hung night cloud 
That raked her splintering mast 

The good ship settled slowly, 
The cruel leak gained fast 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 123 

Over the awful ocean 

Her signal gnns pealed out. 
Dear God ! was that Thy answer 

From the horror round about ? 



A voice came down the wild wind, 
^^Ho ! ship ahoy !" its cry : 

^^Our stout Three Bells of Glasgow 
Shall lay till daylight by!" 



Hour after hour crept slowly, 
Yet on the heaving swells 

Tossed up and down the ship-lights, 
The lights of the Three Bells! 



And ship to ship made signals, 
Man answered back to man, 

While oft, to cheer and lu^nrten, 
The Three Bells nearer ran; 

And the captain from her talVrail 

Sent down his hopeful crv: 
f 

The T/inr llrlls >li:il 



124 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part H 

All night across the waters 

The tossing lights shone clear; 
All night from reeling taffrail 

The Three Bells sent her cheer. 

And when the dreary watches 
Of storm and darkness passed, 

Just as the wreck lurched under, 
All souls were saved at last. 

Sail on, Three Bells, forever, 

In grateful memory sail ! 
Ring on, Three Bells of rescue, 

Above the wave and gale! 

Type of the Love eternal, 

Repeat the Master's cry. 
As tossing throngh our darkness 

The lights of God draw nigh ! 

— Joii]^ G. Whtttier. 

Used by permission of, and hy special arrangement with, 
Houghton Mifflin Company. 

Loiv hnvfi — index of the intensity of the 
storm. 

'^Raked her splintering masf — a good pic- 
ture worth treasuring. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 125 

Pealed — sounded forth. 

"Ship ahoy'' — the hailing salute at sea. 

Ship-lights — lights displayed on board ship 
to prevent collision at night. 

Hearten — to encourage. 

Taffrail — rail about the stern or rear of the 
ship. 

Lurched under — rolled under. 



THE VIOLET 

JANE TAYLOR 

^^The modest violet'' is a common phrase, be- 
cause of the way in which the flower droops its 
head upon its stem. Its first cousin, the pansy, 
has the same habit, which gave some* French 
botanist the fancy that it was bowed in thought. 
So he called it ^^pensee" — thought — from whic^li 
word comes our name, ^^ pansy." 

The simple scientific truth about these ^'mod- 
est," thoughtful flowers, however, is that Na- 
ture thus protects their pollen and honey. No 
rain or dew can wash from the heart of the 
drooping flowei* the precious honey which at- 
tracts the bees, or the pollen which they are to 
carry to other blossoms. 



126 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 



THE VIOLET 

TYPE: SIMPLE LYEIC 

Down in a green and shady bed, 

A modest violet grew, 
Its stalk was bent, it hnng its head, 

As if to hide from view. 



And yet it was a lovely flower. 

Its colors bright and fair; 
It might have graced a rosy bower, 

Instead of hiding there. 

V 

Yet thus it was content to bloom. 

In modest tints arrayed ; 
And there diffnsed a sweet perfume. 

Within the silent shade. 

Then let me to the valley go, 

This pretty flower to see; 
That I may also learn to grow 

In sweet humility. 

— Jaxe Taylor. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 127 

Three ideas are expressed concerning the 
flower. 

1. Its beauty (note how artistically this is 
given by the poet). 

2. Its modesty and humility. The violet is a 
small flower, attractive yet unpretentious ; it is 
frequently necessary to turn over some large 
leaves in order to find the beautiful flower 
hidden beneath them. Such a beautiful flower 
could appropriately have a place in some royal 
bower, yet it is content to grow and give joy to 
others in its humble surroundings. 

3. Its service. In addition to being a thing 
of beauty and joy, it teaches us a lesson — th(i 
lesson of humility — how to do big things in 
life without pomp or display; how to enjoy giv- 
ing service to others in a simple, unassuming 
manner. 

Bower — an arbor. A grouping of fruits or 
flowers for display. 

Grace — add beauty to, adorn. 
Arrayed — to dress, cover, decorate. 
Diffused — scatter about. 



128 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

ODE TO A SKYLARK 

PEECY BYSSHE SHELLEY 

No bird has been more frequently celebrated 
in prose and verse than the skylark. In his 
Sketch of 8tratford-on-Avon, Washington 
Irving describes its melodious flight: 

^^The lark springing up from the bosom of 
the meadow, towered away into the bright, 
fleecy cloud, pouring forth torrents of melody. 
As I watched the little songster, mounting up 
higher and higher, until his body was a mere 
speck on the white bosom of the cloud, while 
the ear was still filled Avith his music, it called 
to mind Shakespeare's exquisite little song in 
Cyinheline: 

^Hark ! hark ! the lark at heav'n's gate sings, 

And Phoebus 'gins arise, 
His steeds to water at those springs, 

On chaliced flowers that lies. 

And winking mary-buds begin 

To ope their golden eyes ; 
With every thing that pretty bin, 

My lady sweet, arise.' " 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 129 

Shelley's Ode to the Skylark Was written at 
Casa Ricci, in Italy. Of the circumstances which 
suggested it to him, his wife says : 

' ' It was on a beautiful summer evening, while 
wandering along the lanes whose myrtle hedges 
were the bowers of the fire-flies that we heard 
the caroling of the skylark which inspired one 
of the most beautiful of his poems." 

From Shelley and His Friends in Italy, Angeli. 



ODE to A SKYLARK 

TYPE: LYRIC 

Hail to thee, blithe spirit ! 

Bird thou never wert, 
That from heaven , or near it, 

Pourest thy full heart 
In profuse strains of unpremeditated art. 

Higher still and higher 

From the earth thou springest 
Like a cloud of fire; 

The blue deep thou wingest, 
And singing still dost soar, and soaring ever singest. 



130 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

In the golden lightning 

Of the sunken sun 
O'er which clouds are bright'ning, 

Thou dost float and run; 
Like an unbodied joy whose race is just begun. 



The pale purple even 

Melts around thy flight; 
Like a star of heaven^ 
In a broad daylight 
Thou art unseen, but yet I hear .thy shrill delight. 



Keen as are the arrows 

Of that silver sphere, 
Whose intense lamp narrows 

In the white dawn clear 
Until we hardly see, we feel that it is there. 



All the earth and air 

With thy voice is loud, 
As, when night is bare. 

From one lonely cloud 
The moon rains out her beams, and heaven is over 
flowed. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 131 

What thou art we know not; 

What is most like thee ? 
From rainbow clouds there flow not 

Drops so bright to see 
As from thy presence showers a rain of melody. 



Like a poet hidden 

In the light of thought. 
Singing hymns unbidden, 
Till the world is wrought 
To sympathy with hopes and fears it heeded not ; 



Like a high-born maiden 

In a palace tower 
Soothing her love-laden 

Soul in secret hour 
With music sweet as love, which overflows her bower ; 



Like a glow-worm golden 

In a dell of dew, 
Scattering unbcholden 

Its aerial hue 
Among the gras8 and flowers, which screen it from 
the view; 



132 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

Like a rose embowered 

In its own green leaves, 
By warm winds deflowered, 

Till the scent it gives 
Makes faint with too much sweet these heavy-winged 
thieves : 



Sound of verjial show^ers 

On the twinkling grass, 
Rain-awakened flowers. 

All that ever was 
Joyous, and clear, and fresh, thy music doth surpass. 



Teach us,, sprite or bird, 

What sweet thoughts are thine; 

I have never heard 

Praise of love or wine 
That panted forth a flood of rapture so divine. 



Chorus Hymeneal, 

Or triumphal chant 
Matched with thine, would be all 

But an empty vaunt, 
A thing wherein we feel there is some hidden want. 



ART I THE FRIENDLY POETS 133 

What objects are the fountains 

Of thy happy strain ? 
What fields, or waves, or mountains ? 

What shapes of sky or plain ? 
What love of thine own kind ? What ignorance of 
pain ? 



With thy clear, keen joyance 

Languor cannot be: 
Shadow of annoyance 
Never came near thee ; 
Thou lovest ; but ne'er knew love's sad satiety. 

Waking or asleep, 

Thou of death must deem 
Things more true and deep 
Than we mortals dream, 
Or how could thy notes flow in such a crystal stream ? 

We look before and after, 

And pine for what is not ; 
Our sincerest laughter 

With some pain is fraught : 
Our sweetest songs arc those that tell of sa(l(l(\^t 
thought. 



134 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part U 

Yet if we could scorn 

Hate and pride and fear ; 
If we were things born 

Xot to shed a tear^ 
I know not how thy joy we ever should come near. 



Better than all measures 

Of delightful sound, 
Better than all treasures 
That in books are found, 
Thy skill to poet were, thou scorner of the ground ! 



Teach me half the gladness 

That thy brain must know. 
Such harmonious madness 

From my lips would flow, 
The world should listen then, as I am listening now. 

— Percy Bysshe Shelley. 



This is the Poet's message: 

Hate and pride and fear are thought of as 
detracting from the perfectness of our song 
(joy). 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 135 

This poem is of value 

1. For its beauty of diction and its similes — 
particularly those merely touched upon — sug- 
gested. 

2. Its simple, straightforward message. 
After describing the habits of the skylark, it 

would be well to compare this poem with 
Wordsworth's Skylark and Hogg's Skylark, 

Unpremeditated art — The lark's song is con- 
trasted with the more formal kinds of art such 
as music and poetry. The art of the lark's song 
is full, free and natural — not limited by con- 
ventionalities. 

Sunken — meaning below the horizon. The 
sun has not yet risen. 

Unbodied joy — joy in the abstract. 

Note how the poet brings out the clearness of 
the lark's song by comparing it to the first star 
seen in the evening. 

The tenth stanza carries on the same thought. 
The song still is heard though the bodily form 
is out of sight. 

Praise of love or wine is cited as the con- 
ventional subject of poetry. 

Chant was fornuM'ly pro]U)uncod so that it 
rliym(d with vaunt — FrcMpuMitly spi^llcd cliaunf. 



136 THE FRIEXDLY POETS [Part II 

THE STAR SPAXGLED BAXXER 

FRANCIS SCOTT KEY 

During the war of 1812, when the English 
tieet lay in Chesapeake Bay, Francis Scott Key, 
went out from Baltimore, with a friend in a 
small boat to ask the release of Dr. William 
Beanes, who, although a civilian, had been taken 
prisoner by the English. Admiral Cockburn, 
however, was just about to attack Fort 
McHenry, the chief defense of Baltimore. Fear- 
ing that the Americans would give warning to 
their friends he detained all three, promising 
that they should be free as soon as the fleet 
reached its destination. 

All day long the attack on Fort McHenry 
continued botli by land and sea. To Key and 
his friends, anxiously watching from their boat, 
it seemed impossible that the little fort could 
hold out. But at sunset the flag still waved 
from tlie ramparts. AVith the falling of night 
they could see it no longer, but the crash of 
guns, and the bursting of bombs told them that 
the fort was still uncaptured. 

Suddenly the firing ceased. Had the fort 
been demolished? Would the flag upon which 
their eyes had rested at twilight's last gleam 
still fling its stars and stripes to the morning 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 137 

air? Never was dawn so anxiously awaited. 
At last it came, and '^the flag was still there." 
The attack had failed. 

This was the supreme moment. Key snatched 
an old letter from his pocket, and laying it on a 
barrel-head, wrote on its back the spirited song 
which he called The Defense of Fort McHenrij, 
Under this name it was printed on handbills and 
distributed through the streets of Baltimore. 
Within three months the song was popular 
throughout the entire country; but under the 
title which it now bears, The Star Spangled 
Banner. 

THE STAR SPAKGLEl) BANNER* 

TYPE: ODE OR DRAMATIC LYRIC 

O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light, 

What so proudly we hailed, at the twilight's last 

gleaming ? 

Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the 

perih)us fight, 

O'er the rain[)arts we watched, were so galhintly 

streaming; 

** Set to air, Anacrcon in Heaven, by SainiK^l AruDld, in 
Academy Song-Book, Assemhl}/ Songs, Book of a Thousand 
Songs, Most Popular Home Soiigs, Most Popular Songs of 
Patriotism, Our Familiar Songs, lUverside Song Book, Songs 
of (he Flag and Nati(>n, Songs tJic (liildri n Lore to Sing, }\'illis 
Collection^ No. ^/. 



138 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

And the rockets* red glare, the bombs bursting in air. 
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still 
there ; 
O say, does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave 
O'er the land of the free and the home of the 
brave ( 



On that shore, dimly seen through the mist of the 
deep, 
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence 
reposes, 
AVhat is that which the breeze, o'er the towering 
steep, 
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses ( 
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam. 
In full glory reflected, now shines in the stream; 
'Tis the Star Spangled Banner; long may it wave. 
O'er the land of the free and the home of the 
brave ! 



And where are the foes who so vauntingly swore 
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion, 

A home and a country should leave us no more; 
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' 
pollution; 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 139 

No refuge could save the hireling and slave 

• From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave ; 
And the Star Spangled Banner in triumph doth wave 
O'er the land of the free and the home of the 
brave ! 

O thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand 

Between their loved homes and the war's desola- 
tion; 
Blest with victory and pe-ace, may the heav'n- 
rescued land 
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved 
us a nation! 
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, 
And this be our motto, ^^In God is our trust ;'' 
And the Star Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave 
O'er the land of the free and the home of the 

brave! .^ „ 

— Francis Scott Key. 

Stanza 1 — The bursting of the bombs and the 
glaring of the rockets proved to tlie wateliers 
in the night that tlu^ flag still i\o\v ovcm' tlu^ fort. 
Then comes the quc^stion at tlu^ (^arly bn^ak of 
dawn, ^^Can you still s(m^ tlu^ flag?" 

Stanza 2 — In the distanei^ tlu^ flag can b(^ s(hm\ 
as the first rays of tlu^ sun are i-efleciiMl ui)on it. 

Stanza 3 — Where is Hk^ boast I'ul (mhmuv wlio 



140 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

was going to destroy the homes of the people? 
He has been turned back and the land is still 
free. 

Stanza 4 — Let ns thank God for onr victory. 
May we always trust in Him and praise His 
power. When our cause is a just one, we will 
surely conquer. 

General Orders No. 201 of War Department : 
Whenever the Star Spangled B aimer is 
played by the band^ on a formal occasion at a 
military station, or at any place where persons 
belonging to the military service are present in 
their official capacity, all officers and enlisted 
men present stand at attention, and if not in 
ranks render the prescribed salute, the position 
of the salute being retained until the last note 
of The Star Spangled Banner. The same re- 
spect is observed toward the national air of any 
other country when it is played as a compliment 
to official representatives of such country. 
Whenever the Star Spangled Banner is played 
as contemplated by this paragraph, the air is 
played through once without the repetition of 
any part, except such repetition as is called for 
bv the musical score. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 141 

TO-NIGHT 

F. J. W. 

Written probably of a member of the expedi- 
tion which helped reduce the Philippine insnr- 
rectos after the United States had taken over 
the islands. 

One of the soldiers has slipped away from his 
tent to the hilltop where he sits looking across 
the distance toward his New England home, 
seeing once more the faces of his family, — as 
though he were united with them again for a 
moment. 

TO-NIGHT 

TYPE: LYRIC 

To-night, my comrades, as you slept, 

And all the camp was still, 
I left the tent and softly crept 

Atop the neighl)oi'ing hill. 
And fiT)m the point that eastward trails 

Far ont into the sea, 
I saw New England's hills and vales. 

And tlirv ar(^ d(*ar t(^ nie. 



142 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

The tropic sea became tlie bay 

That skirts my native shore; 
The pahiis whereon the moon-beams play 

Were elms before my door. 
Again I saw a dear, sweet face; 

I seemed to hear a prayer ; 
To me a mother's tender grace 

Came on the evening air. 

A loving sister's eyes were wet, 

A brother's tears were free, 
A father's anxions face was set 

Across the waste of sea. 
I seemed to see them all again, 

A soldier's holiest sight ; 
And thongh to-morrow finds me slain, 

I've kissed them all to-night. 

Try to appreciate the desire for home on the 
part of the soldier who is serving his countiy in 
a foreign land. 

Stanza 1 — The soldier tells his comrades that 
he quietly left the camp during the night, 
climbed to the top of a nearby hill and gazed 
over the ocean toward his home. 

Stanza 2 — In his fancy, he imagined himself 
again at home, hearing his mother's voice. 



Part H] THE FRIENDLY POETS 143 

Stanza 3 — He sees the other dear ones at 
home who are anxiously awaiting his return. 
This vision has satisfied him and though he may 
meet death to-morrow, he will feel that he has 
kissed them all ^^good night." 



A PATRIOTIC CREED 

EDGAK A. GUEST 

In the unending strife for civic betterment 
small is the use of those people who mean well 
but Avho mean well feebly. The man who counts 
is the man who is decent, and who makes him- 
self felt as a force for decencj^, for cleanliness, 
for civic righteousness. He must have several 
qualities : first and foremost, of course, he must 
be honest, he must have the root of riglit think- 
ing in him. That is not enough. In the next 
place, he must hav(^ courage; th(^ timid man 
counts but litth^ in th(^ rough busin(\ss of trying 
to do w(^ll the world's work. And finally, in 
addition to being honest and bi-av(\ lu^ must 
have common sense. If lu^ do(\^ not liavi^ it, no 
mattcu^ wliat otliiM' (inaliti(^s lu^ niay liavi\ \w 
will find lii]ns(»ir at tlu* nuM'cv of (liost* wlio. 



144 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

without possessing his desire to do right, know 
only too well how to make the wrong effective. 

— From a Speech by Theodore Roosevelt. 

^ # * * * 

The first requisite of good citizenship is that 
the man shall do the homely, every-day, hum- 
drum duties well. A man is not a good citizen, 
I do not care how lofty his thoughts are about 
citizenship in the abstract, if in the concrete, 
his actions do not bear them out; and it does 
not make much difference how high his aspira- 
tions for mankind at large may be; if he does 
not behave well in his own family those aspira- 
tions do not bear visible fruit. He must be a 
good breadwinner, he must take care of his wife 
and his children, he must be a neighbor whom 
his neighbors can trust, he must act squarely in 
his business relations, — he must do all these 
every-day ordinary duties first, or he is not a 
good citizen. — From an Address by Theodore 
Roosevelt. 

A PATRIOTIC CREED 

TYPE: ODE 

To serve my country day by day 
At any humble post I may; 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS ^ 145 

To honor and respect her Flag, 
To live the traits of which I brag ; 
To be American in deed 
As well as in my printed creed. 

To stand for truth and honest toil, 
To till my little patch of soil, 
And keep in mind the debt I owe 
To them who died that I might know 
My country, prosperous and free, 
And passed this heritage to me. 

I always must in trouble's hour 
Be guided by the men in power; 
For God and country I must live, 
My best for God and country give; 
No act of mine that men may scan 
Must shame the name American. 

To do my best and play my part, 

American in mind and heart ; 

To serve the flag and bravely stand 

To guard the glory of my land ; 

To be American in deed, 

God gi'aut me strength to keep this creed. 

Ill Over llrrc, by Ed^ar A. Cuost. 

Copijrif/hl hy Ji rill if (Ejf Lcc (\h. Publishers. Heprinied by 
permission. 



146 ^ THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

The poem states a patriot's belief as to what 
he must do and be in order that he might be a 
good American. The following thoughts are 
presented : 

Stanza 1. — I must be of service to America; 
I must honor the flag; 
I must practice the Americanism I 
preach. 

Stanza 2. — I must stand for truth; 

I must toil, not idle away my op- 
portunities ; 

I must remember the debt I owe 
my forefathers. 

Stanza 3. — I must stand by those in authority. 
I must serve God and my country; 
I must not stain the name ^^ Amer- 
ican." 

Stanza 4. — My mind and heart must be Ameri- 
can; 
To be a good American, God must 
give me the strength to practice 
my beliefs. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 147 

THE CHAMBERED NAUTILUS 

OLIVEK WENDELL H0LME8 

To understand this poem one must be 
acquainted with the facts in connection with the 
life of the nautilus. The chambered nautilus is 
a small shellfish found in tropical Avaters, par- 
ticularly around Sicily. It has a shell similar 
to that of the snail, with the interior divid(Hl 
into several chambers, each succeeding chamber 
larger than the first. Life begins in the smallest 
chamber and as the animal grows, it builds par- 
titions and moves into the next larger chamber. 
A small cord running through the* center of the 
shell connects all the chambers. 

Dr. Holmes compares the growth of the nau- 
tilus to the human development. We develop 
from tender infancy to advanced old age and 
each stage of the development is connected liack 
to earlier stages by the delicate cord of memory. 

THE CHAMBERED NAUTILUS* 

This is tli(^ ship of pcnrl, wliicli, jxx'ls f(Mi:n, 

Sails the unshadowed main, — 

*Musical setting as a cantata for wonion 's voices, l)y Mrs. 
H. H. A. Beach. 



148 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

The venturous bark that flings 
On the sweet summer wind its purpled wings, 
In gulfs enchanted, where the Siren sings, 

And coral reefs lie bare, 
Where the cold sea-maids rise to sun their streaming 
hair. 



Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl ; 

Wrecked is the ship of pearl ! 

And every chambered cell. 
Where its dim, dreamino- life was wont to dwell, 
As the frail tenant shaped his growing shell, 

Before thee lies revealed, — 
Its irised ceiling rent, its sunless crypt unsealed! 

Year after year, beheld the silent toil 

That spread his lustrous coil; 

Still, as the spiral grew, 
He left the past year's dwelling f(n- the new. 
Stole with soft step its shining archway through. 

Built up its idle door. 
Stretched in his last-found home, and knew the old 
no more. 

Thanks for the heavenly message brought by thee, 
Child of the wandering sea, 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 149 

Cast from her lap, forlorn ! 
From thy dead lips a clearer note is born 
Than ever Triton blew from wreathed horn ! 

While on mine ear it rings, 
Through the deep caves of thonght I hear a voice that 
sings ! — 

Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul, 

As the swift seasons roll ! 

Leave thy low-vaulted past ! 
Let each new temple, nobler than the last. 
Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast, 

Till thou at length art free, 
Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea ! 

— Oliver Wendell HoL:\rEs. 

Used by 'permission of, and by arrangement with, lloucihtan 
Mifflin Company. 

In reading the poem, we must imagine tlio 
poet sitting at his desk with the lifeless -broken 
shell before him, examining its interesting 
structure. In stanza 1 and 2 we get an idea of 
the nautilus' shape, size, color, structur(\ wlun^o 
it lives, etc. Stanza 8 tells how the nautilus 
d(^v(dops. A study of this gives Holmes the in- 
spiration referred to in Stanza 4, and givcui in 
Stanza 5. Th(^ m(^ssag'(^ of this stanza in sub- 



150 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

stance is this : the soul of man should aspire to 
higher things, just as the nautilus expands and 
grows from a small and lower plane to one 
loftier and better. 

What does ^^ nautilus" mean? 

Ship of pearl — the shell. 

Maiyi — the ocean. 

Purpled ivings — gauze-like projections which 
the animal was popularly supposed to have the 
power of throwing out in the manner of sails. 

Siren — In classic fable, the sirens were sea- 
nymphs dwelling near the island of Sicily in 
the Mediterranean, who sang with such en- 
trancing sweetness that sailors who listened 
forgot their country, and their homes, and died 
in an ecstasy of delight. 

Sea-maids — in Grecian mythology, the ne- 
reides, or sea-nymphs. 

Crypt — an inner cell. 

Irised — rainbow-colored. 

Triton — a fabled sea demigod, the son of Nep- 
tune and Venus, and the trumpeter of Neptune. 
Holmes has here in mind a line of Words- 
worth's, — 

^^Or hoar old Triton blow liis wroatliod honi.'' 
Author and critics arc^ agreed that The Cham- 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 151 

bered Nautilus is the most perfect poem Holmes 
ever wrote. 

^^In writing the poem," said Holmes, ^^I was 
filled with the highest state of mental exaltation 
and the most crystalline clairvoyance, as it 
seemed to me, that had ever been granted to 
me, — I mean that lucid vision of one's thought 
and of all forms of expression which will be at 
once precise and musical, which is the poet's 
special gift, however large or small in amount 
or value." 



THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE 

ALFRED TENNYSON 

The charge of the Light Brigade took place 
on October 25th, 1854, in the battle of Bahxk- 
lava, during the Crimean War. Through sonu^ 
never explained mistake, the small body of 670 
English cavalrymen, known as the Light Bri- 
gade, commanded by Lord Lucan, received an 
order to charge a much larger force of the 
Russian army, strongly protected, mor(H)V(M\ 
by n^doubts and artillery. Only 198 men re- 
tui-iHMl aliv(\ 



152 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

The well-known war correspondent, W. H. 
Russell, thus told the story in the London 
Times: 

^'The whole brigade scarcely made one 
effective regiment, according to the numbers of 
Continental armies, and yet it w^as more than 
we could spare. As they rushed toward the 
front, the Russians opened on them from the 
guns in the redoubt on the right, with volleys 
of musketry and rifles. They swept proudly 
past, glittering in the morning sun, in all the 
pride and splendor of war. 

^^We could hardly believe the evidence of our 
senses! Surely that handful of men are not 
going to charge an army in position ! Alas ! it 
was but too true. Their desperate valor knew 
no bounds, and far indeed was it removed from 
its so-called better part — discretion. 

^^They advanced in two lines, quickening 
their pace as they closed toward the enemy. A 
more fearful spectacle was never witnessed 
than by those who beheld these heroes rushing 
to the arms of death. At tlu^ distance of twelve 
hundred yards the whole line of the enemj^ 
belched forth from thirty iron mouths a flood 
of smoke and flame, through which hissed the 
deadly balls. Their flight Avas marked by h)- 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 153 

staiit gaps in our ranks, by dead men and 
horses, by steeds flying wounded or riderless 
across the plain. 

^^The first line is broken! — it is joined by the 
second! — they never halt, or check their speed 
an instant. With diminished ranks — thinned 
by those thirty guns, which the Russians had 
laid with the most deadly accuracy — with a halo 
of flashing steel above their heads, and with a 
cheer which was many a noble fellow's d(^ath- 
cry, they flew into the smoke of the batteries; 
but ere they were lost from view, the plain was 
strewed with their bodies, and with the car- 
casses of horses. 

^^They were exposed to an oblique fire from 
the batteries on the hills on both sides, as well 
as to a direct fire of musketry. Througli tlie 
clouds of smoke we could see their sabrc^s flash- 
ing as th(^y rode up to the guns and daslu^d be- 
tween them, cutting down the gunners as tlu\\ 
stood. 

^'To our delight we saw them returning after 
breaking through a column of Russian infanti'v, 
and scattering them like chaff, when tlie flank- 
fin^ of the battery on the liill swc^pt \\\v\\\ down, 
scattered and broken as llu^y w(M-(\ W'onndiul 
men and dismonntcMl troojxM's (lying toward us 



154 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

told the sad tale. Demigods could not have done 
what they had failed to do." 

THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE 

I 

TYPE: WAE BALLAD 

Half a league, half a league, 
Half a league onward. 
All in the valley of Death 

Rode the six hundred. 
^Torward, the Light Brigade! 
Charge for the guns!" he said: 
Into the valley of Death 

Rode the six hundred. 

II 

"Forward, the Light Brigade!" 
Was there a man dismayed ? 
Not tho' the soldier knew 

Some one had blnnder'd: 
Theirs not to make reply, 
Theirs not to reason why, 
Theirs but to do and die: 
Into the valley of Death 

Rode the six hundred. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 155 



III 

Cannon to right of them, 
Cannon to left of them, 
Cannon in front of them 

Volleyed and thimder'd ; 
Storm' d at with shot and shell, 
Boldly they rode and well, 
Into the jaws of Death, 
Into the month of Hell, 

Rode the six hundred. 



IV 

Flashed all their sabres bare, 
Flash'd as they turn'd in air. 
Sabring the gnnners there, 
Charging an army, while 

All the world wonder'd; 
Plunged in the battery-smoke. 
Right thro' the line they broke; 
Cossack and Russian 
ReePd from the sabre-stroke 

Shatter'd and sunder'd. 
Then they rode back, but not, 

Not th(^ six hundred. 



156 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 



Cannon to right of them, 
Cannon to left of them^ 
Cannon behind them 

Volley' d and thnnder'd ; 
Storm'd at with shot and shell, 
While horse and hero fell, 
They that had fought so well 
Came thro' the jaws of Death, 
Back from the month of Hell, 
All that was left of them. 

Left of six hundred. 

VI 

When can their glory fade? 
O the wild charge they made! 

All the world wonder'd. 
Honor the charge they made! 
Honor the Light Brigade! 

N^oble six hnndred ! 

— Alfred Texxysox. 

Stanza 1. — Gives the order to advance. 
Stanza 2. — Here we have the reaction of the 
men, w^ho, though they knew the command 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 157 

meant destruction, did not hesitate or complain, 
but did their duty. 

Stanzas 3 and 4. — Describe very vividly the 
attack upon the Russian gunners and Cossack 
cavalry. 

Stanza 5. — A description of the brave attempt 
to return to the English lines. 

Stanza 6. — Tennyson's tribute to the Bri- 
gade. Their noble deed will be honored forever 
by all nations. 

According to the poem, what are the duties 
of a soldier? 

For what purposes is cavalry most generally 
employed in warfare? 

Do you think it was a wise plan to use cavalry 
for this engagement? 

League — A measure of distance used in Eng- 
land, varying from 2.5 to 4.6 miles. 

Valley of Death — Refers to the valh^y 
through which the English rode to attack the 
Russian guns. 

Sahres — A heavy sword, often curv(Ml, usi^d 
by cavalry troops. 

Cossach — Warlike^ ti'ilx^ of South Russia, 
woi-jd-famed for tlicMi* abilitii^s as liorstMiuMi. 



158 THE FRIES DLY POETS [P.uit II 

CONCOED HYMN 

EALPH WALDO EMERSON 

During the early spring of 1775, the people 
of Massachusetts were collecting arms and am- 
munition, and storing them at Concord and 
Worcester. The English Governor, General 
Gage, learned of the hiding-place at Concord, 
and sent eight hundred troops from Boston to 
destroy the supplies. The alarm had been 
given, however, and the troops were delayed by 
the gathering minute-men, who met them at Lex- 
ington, and fought the skirmish called ^^the 
battle of Lexington." 

^^ After this the British or 'regulars' marched 
on towards Concord. Whilo all this went on, 
the Concord people were removing their mili- 
tary stores to the woods for safety. Then the 
minute-men who had been hurrying towards 
Concord, — to the number of about four hundred 
and fifty in all, — took up a position on the high 
ground near what is called the * North Bridge,' 
which is just out of the village. They could see 
the British soldiers moving about the streets, 
destroying military stores and provisions, cut- 
ting do^^^l the liberty pole, and setting the court- 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 159 

house on fire. Then the officers of the minute- 
men decided to march down to the bridge, and 
at least drive away the British soldiers who 
were stationed there. Captain Isaac Davis of 
Acton said proudly, ^I haven't a man that is 
afraid to go, ' and he and his company marched 
at the head. 

^^When they reached the bridge, the British 
soldiers fired; and Davis fell dead. Then Major 
Buttrick called, 'Fire! for God's sake, fire!' 
The Americans fired ; and the regulars retreated 
in great confusion, one man being killed, and 
several wounded." 

From Young Folks' History of the United States, Thomas 
Wentworth Higginson. 



CONCORD HYMN^ 

TYPE: ODE 

By the rude bridge that arched the flood, 
Their flag to April's breeze inifurled, 

Here once the embattled fanners stood, 
And fired the shot heard round the worhl. 

* Musical sotting, by Lndwig Root hoviMi, in Jiivt rsidc Son<j 
Book and Soiu/s of the FJay and Nation. 



160 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

The foe long since in silence slept ; 

Alike the conqneror silent sleeps; 
And Time the mined bridge has swept 

Down the dark stream which seaward creeps. 

On this green bank, by this soft stream, 

We set to-day a votive stone; 
That memory may their deed redeem, 

When, like our sires, onr sons are gone. 

Spirit, that made those heroes dare 
To die, and leave their children free. 

Bid Time and Nature gently spare 
The shaft we raise to them and thee. 

— Ralph Waldo Emerson. 

Used hij permission of, and hi/ arrangement with, Houghton 
Mifflin Company. 

In 1836, sixty-one years after the battle of 
Concord, our country erected the famous ''Bat- 
tle Monument" at one end of Concord Bridge. 
Emerson was chosen to write the dedication 
hymn. In 1875 the statue of ''The Minute 
Man" was placed on the opposite bank. This 
bears the first stanza of the "Concord Hymn." 

April's breeze — the battle occurred April 19, 
1775. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 1()1 

Embattled — ready to give hattle or stand an 
attack. 

The shot heard round the world — this resist- 
ance of the colonists startled all the world. It 
was so clearly heard that it led to other famous 
revolutions against tyranny and oppression. 

Votive — performed in fulfillment of a vow: 
dedicated by a vow. 



THE DESTRUCTION OF SENNACHERIB 

LORD GF]ORGE GOKDON BYROX 

Assyria was an ancient nation in southwest- 
ern Asia. Sennacherib was king of Assyria for 
twenty-four years from 705-681 b.c. At the time 
of the incident described in the poem Hezc^kiah 
was king of Judah^ the southernmost of the 
kingdoms into which the kingdom of Israel had 
split after the death of Solomon. At this time 
Hezekiah had as his ally, the king of Eygpt. 
Sennacherib, after defeating tlu^ Egyi)tinii 
forces and putting to d(\at1i the pi-i(^sls and eirM'T 
men, turned his attention to J(M-usal(M]i and Ix' 
siegc^d the place. As he says in on(^ of ilu^ I'ox nl 
inscriptions discoveiv^d nmong ilu^ i-nins ol* liis 
palace in NincnM^h : ^^And Hez(0<inli liinisc^ir 1 



162 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

shut up in Jerusalem . . . like a bird in a cage 
building towers around the city to hem him in 
and raising banks of earth against the gates so 
as to prevent his escape." 

*'He sent messengers unto Hezekiah, saying, 
*Let not thy God in whom thou trustest, deceive 
thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered 
into the hand of the king of Assyria. Behold, 
thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have 
done to all lands, by destroying them utterly; 
and shalt thou be delivered? Have the gods of 
the nations delivered them which my fathers 
have destroyed?' 

^^And Hezekiah received the letter of the 
hand of the messenger, and read it. . . . And 
Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, ' Of 
a truth. Lord, the kings of Assyria have de- 
stroyed the nations and their lands, and have 
cast their gods into the fire; for they were no 
gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and 
stone; therefore, they have destroyed them. 
Now therefore, Lord our God, I beseech thee, 
save thou us from out of his hand, that all the 
kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art 
the Lord God, even thou only.^ 

^^Then Isaiah sent to Hezekiah, saying, ^Tlius 
saith the Lord God of Israel, That which thou 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 163 

hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of 
Assyria, I have heard. Thus saith the Lord, He 
shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow 
there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a 
bank against it. By the way that he came, by 
the same shall he return, and shall not pass into 
this city, saith the Lord. For I will defend this 
city to save it, for mine own sake, and for my 
servant David's sake.' 

^^And it came to pass that night, that the 
angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the 
camp of the Assyrians a hundred fourscore and 
five thousand; and when they arose early in the 
morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. So 
Sennacherib, king of Assyria, departed and 
went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh." — 
II Kings, Chapter XIX. 

THE DESTRUCTION OF SENNACHERIB- 

I 

TYPE: BALLAD 

The Assyrian came down like the wolf on tlie fold. 
And his cohorts were gloaming in pnrplo and gold; 
And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the 

sea, 
When the blue wave rolls nightly on dcvp Galilee. 



164 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

II 

Like the leaves of the forest when Sunniier is green, 
That host with their banners at sunset were seen: 
Like the leaves of the forest when Autumn hath 

blown. 
That host on the morrow lay withered and stro^^ii. 

Ill 

Tor the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, 
And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed ; 
And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, 
And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew 
still ! 

IV 

AikI there lay the steed with his nostril all wide. 
But through it there rolled not the breath of his 

pride ; 
And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf, 
And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf. 



And there lay the rider distorted and pale. 

With the dew on his brow, and the rust on his mail; 



Part IT] THE FRIENDLY POETS 165 

And the t(Mits were all silent, the banners alone, 
The lancets iinlifted, the trumpet unblown. 

VI 

And the widows of Asliur are lond in their wail, 
And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal ; 
And the might of the Gentile, nnsmote by the sword, 
Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord ! 

— LoKD George Gordox Byrox. 

The aggressiveness of the Assyrians appears 
in the first line. 

Notice the contrast as set forth in the second 
verse betAveen the state of the Assyrian army 
before and after the pestilence swept over it. 

Cohorts — same as companies. 

Galilee — the sea of Galilee, the head^vaters 
of the Jordan, chief river s^^stem in Palestine. 
The sea of Galilee is noted for its benntiful 
scenery. 

Angel of death — the pestilence. 

Ashur — another name for Assyria. 

Baal — name of the chief cfod of the Assyrians. 

Might of the Gentile — mi<;ht oP Sennaclieril). 

Glavee of the Lord — hero fhc ])oM]]onci\ 



166 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

TO A WATERFOWL 

WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT 

December 15, 1815, Bryant wandered alone 
across the Massachusetts hills. His life seemed 
to him to be hopelessly drifting. Unable to con- 
tinue his college work because of a lack of 
funds, shut out from literary Avork because there 
were no chances for him, Bryant finally made 
up his mind to study law. As he traveled on 
^^ forlorn and desolate, '^ he saAV in the sky over- 
head a solitary wild-cluck that had been sepa- 
rated from its companions in the flight to the 
south. It, too, seemed to be wandering in its 
course. But, as he watched it, he felt sure the 
fowl would arrive safely at its destination be- 
cause God was the pilot. And so, he reasoned, 
he, too, would put his trust in the wisdom of 
God and would go as he was guided by Him, 
in the knowledge that ^'He . . . will lead my steps 
aright." This lesson, learned from observing 
the waterfowl, was written in verse under the 
heading ^^ Lines to a Waterfowl/' 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 167 

TO A WATERFOWL 

TYPE: ODE 

Whither, 'midst falling dew, 
While glow the heavens with the last steps of day, 
Far, through their rosy depths, dost thou pursue 

Thy solitary way ? 

Vainly the fowler's eye 
Might mark thy distant flight to do thee wrong, 
As, darkly seen against the crimson sky. 

Thy figure floats along. 

Seek'st thou the plashy brink 
Of weedy lake, or marge of river wide, 
Or where the rocking billows rise and sink 

On the chafed ocean-side? 

There is a Power whose care 
Teaches thy way along that pathless coast — 
The desert and illimitable air — 

Lone wandering, but not lost. 

All day thy wings have fanned, 
At that far height, the cold, thin atmosphere. 
Yet stoop not, weary, to the welcome land. 
Though the dark night is near. 



168 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

And soon that toil shall end; 
Soon slialt tlion find a snmmer home, and rest, 
And scream among thy fellows ; reeds shall bend, 

Soon, o'er thy sheltered nest. 

Thon'rt gone: the abyss of heaven 
Hath swallowed np thy form ; yet on my heart 
Deeply hath snnk the lesson thou hast given, 

And shall not soon depart. 

He, who, from zone to zone, 
Gnides through the boundless sky thy certain flight. 
In the long way that I must tread alone 

Will lead my steps aright. 

— William Cullen Bryant. 

Water-fowl, such as the wild goose and the 
brant, spend their summers in the northern part 
of Canada. In September and October they fly 
south to the s^a-islands of New Jersey, or if it 
is very cold, still further down the coast. 

In April or May they return north, flying in 
great flocks, as directly and as accurately as if 
guided by a compass. The brants, in particu- 
lar, will often fly all night long over the ocean, 
many miles from shore. Yet they never fail to 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY 0OETS 169 

reach the Canadian lake for which they are 
bound. 

Stanza 1. — The poet asks the solitary bird 
^^ Where are you going?" 

Stanza 2. — The bird is flying at such a height 
that no huntsman could take a deadly aim. 

Stanza 3. — Again the poet asks, ^^Are you 
bound for some distant lake, river or ocean?" 

Stanza 4. — And then he remembers that 
though the bird is lost to the rest of the flock, 
^Hhere is a Power whose care teaches thy Avay. " 

Stanza 5. — The poet is reminded of the fact 
that the bird flies all day, and even, sometime-s, 
at night. 

Stanza 6. — But soon he will be able to bask in 
the southern suns and frolic with his fellows. 

Stanza 7. — The bird slowly disappears from 
sight, yet the poet will never forget the lesson 
this wanderer has taught him. 

Stanza 8. — This lesson is given in this last 
stanza: God, who safel}^ guides the wandiM'ing 
bird, will be a trusty guide for the poet through- 
out his long, uncertain life. 

Last steps of day — evening. 

Foivler — ^huntsman who catches watiM*- fowls. 

PlasJiy — watery. 

Marge — margin. 



170 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

Power — God. 

The welcome land — the final stopping place 
for the migrating bird. 
He— God. 



RECESSIONAL 

KUDYARD KIPLING 

This poem was written, in 1897, for the close 
of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, — the six- 
tieth anniversary of her coronation. To assist 
in this great celebration there were gathered 
together ^^the Prime Ministers of all the self- 
governing colonies [of England], troops from 
these colonies, and Imperial Service Troops 
sent by native Indian princes. Hausas from the 
West Coast of Africa, Negroes from West 
Indies, Zaptiehs from Cyprus, Chinamen from 
Hong Kong, Dyaks from Borneo, took part in 
ceremonies of unparalleled splendor. One hun- 
dred and sixty-five vessels of the Royal Navy 
assembled from their various stations for re- 
view. The poem was an appropriate monition 
at a time when the British people might well 
have been dazzled by the pomp that typified the 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 171 

might, majesty, dominion, and power of Eng- 
land. 

^^ There are in this poem, with one exception, 
no literal quotations from the Bible, such as are 
found in many of Rudyard Kipling's other 
poems. But the following references show that 
in the choice of words, he was considerably 
under the influence of the Bible. 

^^Deuteronomy vi:12. 

^^Job xxxix:25. 

''Psalm ix:17. 

''Nahum iii:7. 

''Romans ii:14.'' 

From Ralph Durand, A HandhooJc to the Poetry of Eudyard 
Kipling. By permission of Doubleday, Page 6* Co., Publishers. 

RECESSIONAL ^ 
type: a prayer and protest— a hymn. 

I 

God of our fathers, known of old, 
Lord of our far-flung battle-line, 

Beneath whoso awful Hand wo hoUl 
Dominion over palm and ])ino — 

Lord God of Hosts, bo willi ns yc^t. 

Lest we forgot — lost wo forgc^t ! 

* Musical setting by W. II. Aiken, in Willis (\>U(ilion. 



172 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

II 

The tumult and the shouting dies ;— 
The captains and the kings depart, 

Still stands Thine ancient Sacrifice, 
An humble and a contrite heart. 

Lord God of Hosts, be with us vet, 

Lest we forget — lest we forget ! 



Ill 

Far-called, our navies melt awav ; 

On dune and headland sinks the fire; 
Lo, all our pomp of yesterday 

Is one with Xineveh and Tyre ! 
Judge of the Xations, spare us yet, 
Lest we forget — lest we forget ! 



IV 

If drunk with sight of power, we loose 
Wihl tongues that have not Thee in awe. 

Such boasting as the Gentiles use. 
Or lesser breeds without the law — 

Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet. 

Lest we forget — lest we forget ! 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 173 

V 

For heathen heart that puts its trust 
In reeking tube, and iron shard^ 

All valiant dust, that builds on dust, 

And, guarding, calls not Thee to guard — 

For frantic boast and foolish word — 

Thy Mercy on Thy People, Lord ! 

— KuDYARD Kipling. 



The recessional hymn is the hymn sung at the 
close of the service. Kipling's poem came at 
the close of the period of feasting and rejoicing 
and is meant as a sober afterthought to be read 
and pondered upon by the English public when 
the glory of the pageantry has passed. It is a 
sermon for the people of England, protesting 
against the spirit of a people who tliinh only 
of their own bigness and importance. It has, 
moreover, a prayer to God that He will forgive 
these people their vain conceit, that Tie will bo 
merciful to them, and make them apprtnuato 
their littleness in the face of a Power thai ])]*o- 
tects and defends them. The poc^n is addi*(^ss(Mb 



174 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

not to the people of England, but to the God of 
Hosts. 

Lord of our far-flung battle line refers to the 
greatness of England, on Avhose banner the sun 
never sets. 

Palm and pine — the one is a s^^nbol of the 
dominions stretching far to the south, the other 
those far to the north. 

The first two lines of verse 2 refer to the end 
of the celebration when the frenzy dies down 
and the royal visitors leave. In the remainder 
of the verse Kipling would have God know that 
the only permanent residue of it all is the 
humble, contrite heart of the Briton. 

Verse 3 refers to the departure of the navy 
and to the dying down of the fires that blazed 
on the hills of the isle during the jubilee. More- 
over, the splendor of the occasion has gone as 
has the pomp of the ancient cities of Nineveh 
and Tyre. 

In verse 4 Kipling decries the boastings of 
the people, who, like the heathen, lost sight of 
the mercy and protection of a Divine Being and 
thought only of their achievement in terms of 
themselves. 

In the last verse the author beseeches God to 
have mercy upon the blind people who put their 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 175 

trust in the iron shard (pieces of bomb shell) 
and reeking tube (cannon) and soldiery, forget- 
ting the benefits and protection of the Greater 
Power without Whom they could not exist as a 
people or nation. 

This poem, preached from the pulpit and 
printed in every paper, had a wonderful effect 
in sobering the nation and brought to the more 
thoughtful and responsible people of England 
a truer conception of the source and strength 
of their national importance. 

In the letter which accompanied the Recessional to the Lon- 
don Times, Mr. Kipling said, in part: 

' * Enclosed please find my sentiments on things — which I hope 
are yours. WeVe been blowing up the Trumpets of the New 
Moon a little too much for White Men, and it 's about time we 
sobered down.'' 

The poem was published the next morning, July 17, 1897. 
Mr. Kipling was asked to name his own price for it, but abso- 
lutely refused all payment. 

From Literature, Vol. VIII, 1901. 



COLUMBUS 

JOAQUIN MILLEK 

Ferdinand Columbus, the son oi* America's 
discoverer, Avrote a biography of his father 
which gives a full account of his lirsl voya^i^ 
westward. A few extracts two i;iv(Mi hciw It 



176 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

is to be noticed that Ferdinand always speaks 
of liis father as ^^the Admiral/' and of the 
sailors as '^the people.'' 

^*0n the morning of Thursday, the sixth of 
September, 1492, the admiral commenced his 
great undertaking hy standing directly west- 
wards. ... On the ninth of September . . . losing 
sight of land^ and stretching out into utterly 
unknown seas, many of the people expressed 
their anxiety and fear that it might be long 
before thej^ should see land again; but the 
admiral used every endeavor to comfort them 
with the assurance of soon finding the land he 
was in search of. . . . 

^^ Saturday, the twenty-second September, the 
wind veered to the southwest . . .; and though 
this was adverse to the direction of their pro- 
posed voyage, the admiral to comfort the 
people alleged that this was a favorable circum- 
stance; because among other causes of fear, 
they had said they should never have a wind to 
blow them back to Spain, as it had always blown 
from the east since they left. They still con- 
tinued to murmur, however, alleging that this 
southwest wind was by no means a settled one. 

[Many signs of land were seen, the last week 
of September, — a turtle-dove, other land-birds. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 177 

crabs, and small fish usually found near land. 
But no land was sighted.] 

^^The more that the tokens mentioned above 
were observed, and found not to be followed by 
the so anxiously looked-for land, the more the 
people became fearful of the event, and entered 
into cabals against the admiral, who they said 
was desirous to make himself a great lord at 
the expense of their danger. . . . Some even pro- 
ceeded so far as to propose, in case the admiral 
should refuse to acquiesce in their proposals, 
that they might make a short end of all disputes 
by throwing him overboard. 

^^On the thirtieth of September . . . the ad- 
miral noticed that the compass varied a whole 
point to the N. W. at nightfall, and came due 
north every morning at day-break. As this un- 
heard of circumstance confounded and terrified 
the pilots . . . the admiral endeavored to calm 
their fears by assigning a cause for this wonder- 
ful phenomenon. He alleged that it was caused 
by the polar star making a circuit around the 
pole, by which they were not a little satisfied. 

^^On the tenth of October, althougb abun- 
dance of birds Avere continually passing- boili 
by day and night, the p(^o]ilo nov(M* c(\as(Ml 1(^ 
complain. . . . Tt would liav(0)(MMi i])i])()ssil)l(^ for 



178 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

the admiral to have much longer withstood the 
numbers which now opposed him, but it pleased 
God that in the afternoon of Tuesday, the 
eleventh of October, such manifest tokens of 
being near the land appeared, that the men took 
courage. . . . 

^^ After this, as the admiral was in the cabin 
about ten o'clock at night, he saw a light on the 
shore. . . . Being now so near land, all the ships 
lay to. . . . When daylight appeared, the newly 
discovered land was perceived to consist of a 
flat island fifteen leagues in length, without any 
hills, all covered with trees, and having a great 
lake in the middle." 



COLUMBUS ^ 

Behind Inm lay the gray Azores, 

Behind the Gates of Hercules; 
Before him not the ghost of shores ; 

Before him only shoreless seas. 
The good mate said: ^^Xow must we pray, 

For lo ! the very stars are gone, 
Brave Adm'r'l, speak; what shall I say?" 

^^Why, say: ^Sail on! sail on! and on!' '' 
* Musical setting, German air, in Biverside Song Book. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 179 

^^My men grow mutinous day by day; 

My men grow ghastly, wan and weak.'' 
The stout mate thought of home; a spray 

Of salt wave washed his swarthy cheek. 
^What shall I say, brave Adm'r'l, say, 

If we sight naught but seas at dawn?'' 
^^Why, you shall say at break of day: 

^Sail on ! sail on ! sail on ! and on !' " 



They sailed and sailed, as winds might blow, 

Until at last the blanched mate said: 
^^Why, now not even God would know 

Should I and all my men fall dead. 
These very winds forget their way. 

For God from these dread seas is gone. 
Now speak, brave Adm'r'l, speak and say — ' 

He said: ^^Sail on! sail on! and on!'' 



They sailed. They sailed. Then spake the mate: 

^'This mad sea shows his teeth to-night. 
He curls his lip, he lies in wait. 

He lifts his teeth, as if to bite! 
Brave Adm'r'l, say but one good word: 

What shall we do when hope is gone?'' 
The words leapt like a leaping sword: 

^^Sail on! sail on! sail on! and on!'' 



180 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

Then jiale and worn, he paced his deck. 

And peered throngh darkness. Ah, that night 
Of all dark nights ! And then a speck — 

A light ! A light ! At last a light ! 
It grew, a starlit flag nnfnrled ! 

It grew to be Time's burst of dawn. 
He gained a world ; he gave that world 

Its grandest lesson: ^^On! sail on!" 

— Joaquin Miller. 

Used hy permission of the Harr Wagner Puhlishing Co., 
publishers of Joaquin Miller's Complete Poems. 

There appears to be no special occasion for 
the writing of this poem. Miller's poems deal 
chiefly with nature and human life on the Pacific 
Coast and Central America, and are noted for 
their fire, color and dash. This is but one, no 
doubt the best, of his poems dealing with great 
adventures of human life. 

Azores — Portuguese Islands in the North 
Atlantic off the mainland of Europe. This was 
the last land touched bv Columbus. 

Gates of Hercules — Straits of Gibraltar. 

The mate — the officer directly in charge of 
the mutinous crew. 

The ivords leaped like a leapincj sword — a re- 
markable way of expressing the intense emotion 
and fervor of Columbus. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 181 

He kept his deck and peered through dark- 
ness — Columbus watched anxiously all night 
long. 

A starlit flag unfurled — some of the islands 
discovered by Columbus later became a part of 
the United States. 

Time's hurst of daivn — a new era in the 
world's history. 

CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN! 

WALT WHITMAN 

The Civil War had ended. Lee had capitu- 
lated. Lincoln, walking through the streets of 
Richmond, had been cheered at every stc^p by 
the thronging freedmen. The North, jubilant 
over the great national victory; the South, con- 
fident in the magnanimity of the President, — 
both looked to Lincohi as the one friend who 
could re-kindle the spirit of amity. TIuuh^ was 
comparatively little of that deep bitterness 
which followed later in the reconstruction 
period. All seemed hopeful for the nation, and 
for its chief, who had at last won tlie resptuM 
and admiration of even tliose wlio had most 
mercilessly mocked and vilified him during liis 
first vears in office. 



182 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

And then — Lincoln was shot! Henry Ward 
Beeeher has voiced in prose the horror and 
despair of the nation after that dreadful deed, 
while Whitman's poem is a cry of love and sor- 
row for his lost captain. The irony of fate is 
here — the Ship of State steered safelj^ through 
countless dangers to the longed-for harbor, 
flags flying, bugles trilling, people exulting in 
their Captain, and that Captain, at the moment 
of home-coming, ^ ^fallen cold and dead.'' 

CAPTAIX! MY CAPTAIN* 

TYPE: ODE 

I 

O Captain! mv Captain! our fearful trip is done; 
The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we 

sought is won ; 
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all 

exulting, 
While follow eves the steadv keel, the vessel OTim and 
daring: 
But O heart ! heart ! heart ! 
O the bleeding drops of red. 

Where on the deck mv Captain lies, 
Fallen cold and dead. 

* Musical setting by G. M. Wyman, in Biverside Song Book; 
Anonymous, in JViUis Collect ion. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 183 

II 

O Captain ! my Captain ! rise up and hear the bells ; 
Rise up — for you the flag is flung — for you the bugle 

trills; 
For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths — for you the 

shores a-crowding; 
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces 
turning; 
Here Captain! dear father! 
This arm beneath your head ; 

It is some dream that on the deck, 
You've fallen cold and dead. 

Ill 
My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and 

still ; 
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor 

will ; 
The ship is anchored safe and sound, its voyage closed 

and done ; 
From fearful trip, the victor ship comes in witli 
object won: 
Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells ! 
But I, with mournful tread. 
Walk the deck rny Captain lies, 
Fallen cold nnd dead. 
Used hy permission of David McKay Compan}/, PJdladrlphia. 



184 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

Walt Whitman was a volunteer nurse in the 
Army Hospital at Washington during the Civil 
War. He knew President Lincoln intimately 
and loved him. The poem was written as a 
tribute to the martyred President after his 
assassination. 

Readers will find in this poem two strangely 
conflicting emotions — ^joy and grief. There is 
a great joy over the successful conclusion of the 
war, followed by the deep sorrow of Whitman, 
caused by the murder of Lincoln. 

Captain — this refers to Lincoln as leader of 
the Nation. 

The fearful trip — refers to the Civil War. 

The vessel or ship — is the nation. 

The port — signifies the conclusion of the war. 

The prize we sought — refers to the preserva- 
tion of the nation. 

In stanza 1 we have the great joy of the 
people over the conclusion of the war and the 
preservation of tlu^ Union, followed by Whit- 
man's grief over the death of Lincoln. At the 
beginning Lincoln is represented as alive and 
standing on the deck of the vessel as the trip 
is finished. Just as the port is being entered. 
Lincoln falls dead on the deck (last four lines). 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 185 

This refers to Lincoln's assassination at the 
great moment of victory. 

Stanza 2 is somewhat similar to Stanza 1. 
The first four lines portray the patriotic regard 
of the people for Lincoln, who has been the 
great Captain of the Nation. These lines are 
followed by the tender sentiments of Whitman 
on the death of one whom he loved as a 
father. 

The last stanza expresses the same conflicting 
emotions : — the joy of the great multitude is 
contrasted with the passionate sorrow of the 
poet. 

SPEECH AT THE DEDICATION OF THE 

NATIONAL CEMETERY AT 

GETTYSBURG 

ABRAHAM LINCOLN 

The success of the North at Gettysburg, in 
July, 1863, lifted a great load from th(^ h(^art 
of President Lincoln, who realized that now tlir 
crisis had been passed. On November loth ol" 
that year a group of loyal Americans mc\ on 
the battlefield to consecrate it as a National 
Cemetery. EdAvard Everett, thc^ great orator, 
was the principal speaker of the day. His won- 



186 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

derful eloquence held tlie peojjle spellbound for 
hours. 

The President, worn and weary and Avith all 
the atTairs of state on his soul, made a brief 
address lasting less than two minutes. At first 
the people could not comprehend the truth their 
chieftain told them. But when the next day 
they comprehended the full meaning of the mes- 
sage, they showered Lincoln with the greatest 
praise. Everett himself wrote, ''I should be 
glad if I came as near to the central thought of 
the occasion in two hours as you did in two 
minutes." 

In an editorial comment upon the occasion, 
Harper's Weekly says, in its issue for Decem- 
ber 5th, 1863 : 

The solemn ceremony at Gettysburg is one of the most strik- 
ing events of the war. There are grave-yards enough in the 
land — what is Virginia but a cemetery? — and the brave who 
have died for us in this fierce war consecrate the soil from the 
ocean to the Mississippi. But there is peculiar significance in 
the field of Gettysburg, for there *'thus far^' was thundered 
to the rebellion. This it is which separates it from all the 
other battle-fields of this war. Elsewhere the men in the ranks 
have fought as nobly, and their ofiicers have directed as 
bravely; but here their valor stayed the flood, and like the 
precious shells that the highest storm -tides strew upon the 
beach, showing how far the waters came, so the dead heroes 
of Gettysburg marked the highest tide of the war. Therefore 
shall their graves be peculiarly honored, and their memory 
especially sacred; and all that living men can bring of pomp 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 187 

and solemnity and significance to hallow their resting-place 
shall not be wanting. 

The President and the Cabinet were there, with famous 
soldiers and civilians. The oration by Mr. Everett was smooth 
and cold. Delivered, doubtless, with his accustomed graces, it 
yet wanted one stirring thought, one vivid picture, one thrill- 
ing appeal. 

The few words of the President were from the heart to the 
heart. They can not be read, even, without kindling emotion. 
^ ^ The world will little note nor long remember what we say 
here, but it can never forget what they did here.'' It was as 
simple and felicitous and earnest a word as was ever spoken. 



THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS 

Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought 
forth npon this continent a new nation, conceived in 
liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men 
are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great 
civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation 
so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. ^Ye 
are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have 
come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final 
resting-place for those who here gave their lives that 
that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and 
proper that we should do this. But in a larger sense 
we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot 
hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dc^id, 
who struggled lioro, liave consocrat(Nl it f;ir ab()V(^ owv 
poor powc^r to add or (h^ti'nct. Tlu^ world will lillh^ 
note, nor long rcMuenilxM', what \\v s;iy Ikm'c ; luit il can 



188 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

never forget what tliej did here. It is for us, the 
living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished 
work which they who fought here have thus far so 
nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedi- 
cated to the great task remaining before us, that 
from these honored dead we take increased devotion 
to that cause for w^hich they gave the last full measure 
of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these 
dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, 
under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and 
that government of the people, by the people, and for 
the people, shall not perish from the earth. 

— Abraham Lixcoln. 

Fourscore and seven years ago — refers to 
1776, the birth of the United States. 

Conceived — started, begun. 

Consecrate — to make sacred. 

In the first section (first three sentences) 
Lincoln clearly explained the purpose of the 
meeting, and the underlying cause of the 
struggle between the North and South. This 
conflict Lincoln declared centered about the 
proposition ^^that all men are created equal." 

In section 2 (next four sentences) Lincoln 
points out what the brave boys of the North 
liave done, and in comparison w^hat little the 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 189 

spectators can do. The living and the dead of 
the Northern Army will always be remembered 
by all the world. 

In the last section (the remainder of the 
speech) Lincoln clearly points ont the duty and 
responsibility resting upon each loyal citizen. 
Every loyal American must dedicate his life to 
the cause for which the nation struggles, must 
fight it out to the finish so that the Nation shall 
not perish from the earth. 



YE MARINERS OF ENGLAND 

THOMAS CAMPBELL 

This song was begun during a summer spent 
at the seaside with some friends who were ac- 
customed to gather in the evening to sing. One 
of their favorite songs was Ye Gentlemen of 
England, Carried away by this ballad, and influ- 
enced by the ocean close at hand, Campbell 
wrote the first draft of this poem, in tlu^ sum- 
mer of 1799, when he was only twenty-three 
years old. 

The following winter, the runup's of war witli 
Russia roused all Campbell's patriotism, and he 
finished the stirring song. The poem api)(^ar(Hl 



190 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

first in 1801, in the Morning Chronicle^ with the 
title, Alteration of the old hallad, ''Ye Gentle- 
men of England/' composed on the prospect of 
a Russian tvar^ and signed ^'Amator Patriae." 
About this time, Campbell met in Germany 
Anthony M'Cann, a leader of the Irish Rebel- 
lion of 1798. The sad story of M'Cann and his 
associates inspired the poet to write The Exile 
of Erin. On his return to Scotland, he was 
arrested for high treason, on suspicion of 
having conspired with the exiles. His baggage 
was opened and searched. But, instead of find- 
ing treasonable papers, the officers discovered 
the first draft of Ye Mariners of England! 
Needless to say, Campbell was at once set free. 

YE MARIA^ERS OF ENGLAND* 
A Naval Ode 



TYPE : PATRIOTIC ODE 

Ye Mariners of England 

That guard our native seas, 

Whose flag has braved, a thousand years, 

The battle and the breeze — 

* Musical setting by John W. Callcott, in Our Familiar Songs. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 191 

Your glorious standard launch again 
To match another foe! 
And sweep through the deep, 
While the stormy winds do blow, — 
While the battle rages loud and long, 
And the stormy winds do blow. 



II 

The spirits of your fathers 

Shall start from every wave ! 

For the deck it was their field of fame, 

And Ocean was their grave. 

Where Blake and mighty JSTelson fell 

Your manly hearts shall glow^ 

As ye sweep through the deep. 

While the stormy winds do blow, — 

While the battle rages loud and long, 

And the stormy winds do blow. 

Ill 

Britannia needs no bulwarks, 

No towers along the steep ; 

Her march is o'er the mountain waves, 

Her home is on the deep. 

Witli tliunders from her native oak 



192 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

She quells the floods below, 

As they roar on the shore 

When the stormy winds do blow, — 

When the battle rages loud and long, 

And the stormy winds do blow. 

IV 

The meteor flag of England 
Shall yet terrific burn, 
Till danger's troubled night depart 
And the star of peace return. 
Then, then, ye ocean-warriors ! 
Our song and feast shall flow 
To the fame of your name. 
When the storm has ceased to blow, — 
.When the fiery fight is heard no more, 
And the storm has ceased to blow. 

— Thomas CAMrBELL. 

Mariners — sailors, particularly those of the 
navy. 

Native seas — the waters bordering the British 
Isles. 

Braved a thotisand years — a touch which 
ar()us(\s pride at the long life of the nation dur- 
ing wliich the flag has flown. 



Part IT] THE FRIENDLY POETS 193 

Your standard launch again — set out for the 
attack with flags flying. 

Blake and Nelson — British naval heroes. 

Britannia — the British people, like ^^ Co- 
lumbia. ' ' 

Bulwark — fortress walls. 

Meteor flag — ^blazing red battle flag. 

IN FLANDERS FIELDS 

JOHN McCEAE 
TYPE : WAR LYRTC 

Dr. John McCrae served as medical officer 
with the First Brigade of Canadian Artillery, 
from October, 1914, to June, 1915, when he was 
transferred to Boulogne. During the second 
battle of Ypres, in Ma^^, 1915, this Brigade was 
in the thickest of the fighting. ^^For seventeen 
days and seventeen nights," wrote McCrae, 
^^none of us have had our clothes off, nor our 
boots even, except occasionally." 

It was at this time that he wrote In Flanders 
Fields. Major-General Morrison, Avho com- 
manded the Brigade, says: 

^'This poem was literally born of fivo niul 
blood during the hottest phase of llie siM'oiid 
battle of Ypres. My headquarters W(M-e in a 



194 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

trench on the top of the bank of the Ypres 
Canal, and John had his dressing statioji [first 
aid relief for the wounded] in a hole dug in tlie 
foot of the bank. During periods in the battle, 
men who were shot actually rolled down the 
bank into his dressing station. Along from us 
a few hundred yards was the headquarters of a 
regiment, and many times during the sixteen 
days of battle, he and I watched them burying 
their dead whenever there was a lull. Thus the 
crosses, row on row, grew into a good-sized 
cemetery. Just as he describes, we often heard 
in the mornings the larks singing high in the 
air, between the crash of the shell and the re- 
ports of the guns in the battery just beside us. 
I have a letter from him in which he mentions 
having written the poem between the arrival of 
batches of wounded." 

From An Essay in Cliaroricr, by Sir Andrew MacPliail, in 
!n Flanders Fields and Other Poems. 

IN FLAXDERS FIELDS 

In Flanders fields the poppies blow 

Between the crosses, row on row, 

That mark our place; and in the sky 
The larks, still bravely singing, fly 

Scarce heard amid the guns below. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 195 

We are the Dead. Short days ago 
We livedj felt dawn, saw sunset glow, 
Loved and were loved, and now we lie, 
In Flanders fields. 

Take up our quarrel with the foe: 
To you from failing hands we throw 

The torch; be yours to hold it high. 

If ye break faith with us who die 
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow 
In Flanders fields. 

— John McCrae. 

From In Flanders Fields, by John McCrae. Courtesy of G. 
P. Putnam ^s Sons, Publishers, New York and London. 

The author represents the spirits of the dead 
speaking to those left behind w-ho must fight 
out the struggle to a finish. The dead have done 
their duty, and leave the task to be completed 
by the living. Under the peaceful poppies of 
Flanders, with the peaceful song of the lark 
overhead, the dead do not regret the sacrifice 
they have made. They will rest, happy and 
contented, in their graves, if their friends ki^ep 
their promises and fight on to the end. If, how- 
ever, the cause is given up and the conflict is 



196 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

left undecided, the dead will not rest in peace, 
they say, even in the poppy fields of Flanders. 

The poppies — in Belginm, ^'the battlefield of 
Europe," the ground fought over in every bat- 
tle is marked for years by flaming fields of 
poppies. This has been mentioned many times 
by writers and travelers. Thus the field of 
Waterloo was clearly defined for a long time by 
the poppies which bloomed upon it. 

The torch — a symbol of the struggle for free- 
dom and liberty. In the Greek athletic games 
of olden times, a race sometimes run was the 
torch race. This was sometimes on horseback, 
sometimes on foot. In the latter case, it might 
be either a single race, or a relay with four run- 
ners on a team. Always, of course, the object 
was to bring in the torch still lighted at the end 
of the race. The poet may refer to this, or to 
the old Scotch custom of the Fiery Cross, of 
which Sir Walter Scott tells in The Lady of the 
Lake. If a chieftain mshed to call his subjects 
to war, he made a small cross, set its ends afire, 
and quenched the blaze in the blood of a goat. 
The Fiery Cross was then carried at top speed 
by one runner after another, through all the dis- 
trict, and heavy curses were invoked on any 
who did not at once obey its call. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 197 

Take up our quarrel with the foe — avenge us, 
and fight the same struggle the dead fought. 

Though poppies hloiv — Poppies are an em- 
blem of sleep. Morpheus, the Greek god of 
sleep, was crowned with poppies. 



IN FLANDERS FIELDS 
All Answer 

C. B. GALBRAITH 

In the summer of 1915, John McCrae's poem, 
In Flanders Fields, first appeared, in an 
English paper, and became at once, what it 
probably still remains, the best-known of all the 
poems inspired by the Great War. 

In Flanders Fields was printed and re- 
printed. It appeared in papers and magazines 
all over the English-speaking world. The ter- 
rible struggle at Ypres was fresh in the minds 
of all, and here spoke a voice out of tliat very 
battle. 

The poem struck a note to wliich many liearts 
instantly responded. Within a few weeks, 
doz(^ns of ^^ Answers" appeared in botli Eng- 
land and America. 



198 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

IX FLAXDEES FIELDS 

An Answer 
TYPE: WAR LYEIC 

In Flanders fields the cannon boom 
And fitfnl flashes light the gloom, 
While np above, like eagles fly 
The fierce destroyers of the sky. 
With stains the earth wherein you lie 
Is redder than the poppy bloom 
In Flanders fields. 

Sleep on, ye brave; the shrieking shell, 

The quaking trench, the startled yell, 

The fury of the battle hell 

Shall wake you not, for all is well. 

Sleep peacefully, for all is well. 

Your flaming torch we bear; 

With burning heart an oath we swear 

To keep the faith, to fight it through, 

To crush the foe, or sleep w^th you 

In Flanders fields. 

— C. B. Galbraith. 

This is a soldier's answer to the plea of the 
dead in Flanders field. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 199 

Stanzas 1 and 2 give a picture of warfare in 
Flanders fields. Above the sod there is no 
peace or quiet — the cannon, the destroyers, the 
shot and shell are more conspicuous than the 
silent poppy or the merry lark. It is this fury 
and din of warfare, however, that will give 
peace to the dead, who would find no rest or 
comfort if their cry, ^^Take up our quarrel with 
the foe," were disregarded. 

'^ All is well" for ^^we swear to keep the faith, 
to fight it through." The soldiers have sworn 
that it will be a fight to the finish ; the cause of 
liberty and freedom will be fought to a finish 
on Flanders fields ; either the foe will be crushed 
or the soldiers will give up their lives in battle. 

PROMOTED 

JOHN OXENHAM 

In the North Sea Battle, May 31st, 1916, 

John Travers Cornwell^ 

First-Class Boy, H. M. S. Chester. 

The Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Fleet, 

in submitting to the Admiralty his Report on 

the Jutland Bank Battle, includes the folloiving 

instance of devotion to duty recorded by Sir 

David Beatty: 



200 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

''A report from the Commmidlng Officer of 
^Chester' gives a splendid instance of devo- 
tion to duty. Boy {Firsf-Class) John Travers 
Cornwelly of 'Chester/ ivas mortally wounded 
early in the action. He nevertheless remained 
standing alone at a most exposed vost^ quietly 
aivaiting orders till the end of the action^ ivith 
the gun^s creiv dead and wounded all around 
him. His age tvas under I6V2 y^ci^^s. I regret 
that he has since died, hut I recommend his case 
for special recognition in justice to his memory, 
and as an acknowledgment of the high example 
set by him/' 

PROMOTED 

TYPE: DRAMATIC LYRIC 

There was his duty to be done, — 
And he did it. 

No thought of glory to be won; 
There was his duty to be done, — 
And he did it. 

Wounded when scarce the fight begun. 
Of all his fellow^s left not one; 
There was his duty to be done, — 
A V(l hr did if. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 201 

Death's fiery hail he did not shun, 
Fearless he stood, iinnioved, alone, 
Beside his eager, useless gun; 
There was his duty to be done, — 
And he did it. 



Britain, be proud of such a son! 
Deathless the fame that he has won. 
Only a boy, — but such a one ! — 
Standing for ever to his gun ; 
There was his duty to be done, — 
And he did it. 



Let every soul in all the land 
Eevere his steadfast loyalty. 
Britain shall all unconquered stand 
While she can breed such sons as he. 
His brave, short life was nobly planned 
On lines of perfect fealty. 
His death fulfilled his King^s command, 
"Aye ready be to come to Me/' 

And he did it. 

John Oxkniiam. 

Prom The Vision Splendid, by John Oxcnham. Copyright, 
1917, Gc« YgQ II. Doraii (\)nii)nnv, Puhlishors. 



I 



202 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

The poem can easily be divided in two parts. 

1. The first four stanzas tell the situation — 
tlie task to be done. 

2. The last two stanzas contain a tribute to 
the hero, a statement of Avliat his bravery should 
mean to all Britons and what such a hero means 
to his country. The last stanza is practically a 
sermon. 

Eager J useless gun — this means that the gun 
has been rendered useless, yet would gladly do 
its share in the battle. 

Deathless — his fame will live on forever. 

Revere — hold sacred, honor. 

Breed — means more than to give birth to, 
here it means if England can train lads to such 
devotion. 

Fealty — loyalty, devotion. 

THE QUALITY OF MERCY 

From The Merchant of Venice 

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE 

This play tells the story of Antonio, a rich 
merchant of Venice, who, in a moment of dis- 
tress, borrows three thousand ducats from Shy- 
lock, the Jew, promising 'Mn merry sport," as 
pledge for its return, a pound of flesh to be cut 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 203 

from his body ' ' nearest his heart. ' ' This money 
is to meet the necessities of his friend Bassanio 
in courting Portia, a fair and wealthy young 
lady of a near-by town. Bassanio protests 
vigorously against such a pledge, but is over- 
ruled by Antonio, whose richly laden ships will 
surely ^^come liome a month before the day." 

In this, however, he is disappointed, and on 
the very day when Bassanio wins his bride, he 
receives word that Antonio 's bond is forfeit, and 
Antonio himself in prison. Bassanio hastens 
back to Venice to save his friend. All that he 
can do he does, but it is Portia who achieves 
the rescue. Dressed in a lawyer's costume, in 
which not even her husband recognizes her, she 
attends Antonio's trial. Here Shylock is 
offered three times the money by Bassanio, but 
will take nothing but the forfeit. 

Then Portia, as the young lawyer, makes 
this wonderful plea, ^'The quality of mercy is 
not strained. ' ' Even this has no effect on Sliy- 
lock, and the court is forced to award him his 
pound of flesh. ^^But," says Portia, ^Mn the 
cutting it, if thou dost shed one drop of Cliris- 
tian blood, thy lands and goods are, by ilu^ laws 
of Venice, confiscate unto the stat(^ of X'tMiice." 

Portia has saved Antonio's V\\\\ 



204 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

THE QUALITY OF MERCY 

TYPE: DIDACTIC 

The quality of mercy is not straiii'd. 

It droppeth as the gentle dew from heaven 

Upon the place beneath : it is twice blest : 

It blesseth him that gives and him that takes : 

'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes 

The throned monarch better than his crown : 

His sceptre shows the force of temporal power. 

The attribute to awe and majesty. 

Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings; 

But mercy is above this sceptred sway; 

It is enthroned in the hearts of kings, 

It is an attribute to God himself ; 

And earthly power doth then show likest God*s 

When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew, 

Though justice be thy plea, consider this. 

That, in the course of justice, none of us 

Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy; 

And that same prayer doth teach us all to render 

The deeds of mercy. 

— Willia:^! Shakespeare. 

Mercy cannot ho shown or given in part or in 
measure. It comes, like the rain from heaven. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 205 

as a gift of God. Like the rain, its quality and 
volume cannot be altered one iota by man. 
Showing mercy confers a blessing upon two 
people at least — the one who receives and he 
who shows or gives mercy. 

Of all influences or forces the power of mercy 
is ^^ mightiest in the mightiest." To the 
medieval person the king or monarch appeared 
to be the most powerful person. Portia main- 
tains that mercy is the greatest asset of a king 
and that it can work a greater good in his king- 
dom than any display of pomp or majesty. 
Mercy is a greater agency than the sword or 
scepter, because mercy has its root in the human 
heart, and is, therefore, more truly a part of 
the king. 

To be merciful is to be like God, for God is 
merciful. When a king tempers his power and 
acts with mercy, then is his kingdom like God's. 
To show justice is the duty of the king'; when he 
is merciful as well as just toward his people, 
he uses his power as God uses His in heaven. 

Scepter — an ornamental staff used as a sign 
of command or authority. 

Temporal potver — power on earth — as a 
king's control over liis people in ancient times. 

Attrihittc — a charactcM'istic, a distinct mark. 



206 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

THE DAFFODILS 

WILLIAM WOKDSWOKTH 

The daffodils, of wliicli the poet writes in 
these verses, were seen by him in the spring of 
1804, during a walk in the woods near Gow- 
barrow Park, with his sister, Dorothy. Their 
home was at Grasmere, in the beautiful ''lake 
region" of England, and this ''host of golden 
daffodils" bloomed on the shore of Ullswater. 

Doroth}^ Wordsworth, who also was a lover 
of the poetry of nature, says in her journal of 
their daily life: 

In the woods we saw^ a few daffodils close to the water-side. 
We fancied that the sea had floated the seeds ashore, and that 
the little colony had so sprung up. But as we went along there 
were more and yet more; and at last under the boughs of the 
trees we saw that there was a long belt of them along the 
shore. ... I never saw daffodils so beautiful . . . they tossed 
and reeled and danced as if they verily laughed with the wind 
that blew upon them over the lake. 

THE DAFFODILS 

TYPE: LYRIC 

I wandered lonely as a cloud 

That floats on high o'er vales and hills, 

When all at once I saw a crowd, 
A host, of golden daffodils; 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 207 

Beside the lake, beneath the trees, 
Fhittering and dancing in the breeze. 

Continuous as the stars that shine 

And twinkle on the milky way, 
They stretched in never-ending line 

Along the margin of a bay: 
Ten thousand saw I at a glance, 
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. 

The waves beside them danced ; but they 
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee; 

A poet could not but be gay. 
In such a jocund company; 

I gazed — and gazed — but little thought 

What wealth the show to me had brought. 

For oft, when on my couch I lie 

In vacant or in pensive mood. 
They flash upon that inward eye 

Which is the bliss of solitude; 
And then my heart with pleasure fills, 
And dances with the daffodils. 

WlLLTA^I WORDSWOKTII. 

The poem can easilj^ be divided into two parts. 
1. The description of tlu^ fi(dd of daffodils 
(Stanzas 1, 2, 3). 



208 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part II 

2. The permanent effect that such a beautiful 
sight has upon the one who understands and 
appreciates nature (Stanza 4). 

Stanza 1. — Evidently the poet was depressed 
and downcast. Suddenlj^ his attention is focused 
upon the daffodils growing beside the lake. 

Stanza 2. — A picture of Avhat the poet sees 
as he stands there looking over the field of daf- 
fodils. 

Stanza 3. — The effect upon the poet. The 
gay, dancing flowers made him cheerful. He 
became happy and gay. He had no idea, how^- 
ever, of the great joy and value this scene Avas 
to have for him. 

Stanza 4. — This contains the lesson of the 
poem. It tells of the great value natural beaut)" 
holds for the naturalist. Whenever the nature 
lover is witnessing reverses and bad luck, he can 
easily overcome his depression by the mental 
image of loveliness and the joy and comfort 
which a scene of beauty has given his heart and 
soul. 

The two lines (said by some critics to be the 
best) : 

^^They flash upon that inward eye 
Which is the bliss of solitude" 

were contributed by Mrs. Wordsworth. 



Part II] THE FRIENDLY POETS 209 

Host — a great number. 

Milky ivay — a path in the sky composed of 
innumerable stars, which are so distant, that 
separately they cannot be seen by the human 
eye. 

Sprightly — a very descriptive word. In this 
connection it conveys the idea that each flower 
held a little spirit or fairy that softly danced 
with the breeze. 

Jocund — merry, happy, gay. 

Show — sight, scene. 

Vacant — with no conscious, fixed thought in 
mind. 

Pensive — thoughtful, thinking intently upon 
some problem. 

Inward eye — deeper consciousness, inner 
feeling. 



PART III 

PAGE 

Child's Evening Hymn Sabine Baring-Gould 213 

A Visit from St. Nicholas Clement C. Moore 215 

The Wonderful World William Brighty Rands 218 

The Lamplighter Robert Louis Stevenson 221 

Which Loved Best Joy Allison 223 

Seven Times One Jean Ingelow 228 

Friends Abbie Far well Brown 231 

The Lord is My Shepherd Psahn XXIII 233 

Hiawatha's Childhood . . . Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 237 

I Will Lift up Mine Eyes Psalm CXXI 242 

The Miller of the Dec Charles Mackay 244 

The Sandpiper Celia Thaxter 248 

The American Flag Joseph Rodman Drake 252 

Robin Hood John Keats 255 

Excelsior Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 259 

Break, Break, Break Alfred Tennyson 264 

Robert of Lincoln William Cullen Bryant 266 

The Sands of Dee Charles Kingsley 272 . 

The Inchcape Rock Robert Southey 275 

Lochinvar Sir Walter Scott 280 

Old Folks at Home Stephen Collins Foster 284 

Lead, Kindly Light John Henry Newman 287 

The Last Leaf Oliver Wendell Holmes 289 

Burial of Sir John Moore Charles Wolfe 294 

Farewell to all My Greatness .... William Shakespeare 297 

Prospice Robert Browning 300 

Crossing the Bar Alfred Tennyson 302 

My Heart's in the Highlands Robert Burns 305 

Nathan Hale Francis Miles Finch 307 

The Sea Barry Cornwall 312 

My Old Kentucky Home Stephen Collins Foster 315 

Breathes there a Man Sir Walter Scott 3 IS 

Opportunity Edward Rowland Sill 321 

Auld Lang Syne Robert Burtis 323 

2il 



CHILD'S EVENING HYMN 

EEV. SABINE BAEING-GOULD 

The good minister who wrote this hymn wrote 
also the marching song, Onward, Christian Sol- 
diers, for his Sunday-school to sing as they 
marched from one village to another, to meet a 
second Sunday-school. 

Both hymns were written in the same year, 
1865. It is likely that this Evening Hymn was 
written for the same Sunday-school, — perhaps 
for its closing hymn. 

CHILD'S EVENING HYMN ^ 

TYPE: LYEIC (SONG) 

Now the day is over, 

Night is drawing nigh; 
Shadows of the evening 

Steal across the skv. 

* Musical setting by Joseph J^ainhy, in Asscmhli/ Soiufs, 
Book of a Thousand Songs, Golden IUwk\ Most Popular Songs, 
Songs the Children Love to Sing. 

213 



214 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

Now the darkness gathers, 

Stars begin to peep, 
Birds, and beasts, and flowers, 

Soon will be asleep. 

Jesus, give the weary 

Calm and sweet repose: 
With Thy tend'rest blessing 

May mine eyelids close. 

Grant to little children 

Visions bright of Thee; 
Guard the sailors tossing 

On the deep bine sea. 

Comfort every sufferer 

Watching late in pain; 
Those who plan some evil 

From their sin restrain. 

Through the long night watches 

May Thine Angels spread 
Their white wings above me, 

Watching round my bed. 

W'^hen the morning wakens, 

Then may I arise 
Pure, and fresh, and sinless 

In Thy holy eyes. 

— Rev. Sabine Baring-Gould. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 215 

A VISIT FROM ST. NICHOLAS 

CLEMENT C. MOORE 
TYPE: SHORT, IMAGINATIVE, NARRATIVE POEM. 

In Holland, Santa Claus is still called St. 
Nicholas, or Saint Klaus. Instead of hanging 
their stockings by the chimney, on Christinas 
Eve, the children put their shoes on the door- 
step. St. Nicholas goes about in a pony-sleigh, 
and as soon as the children hear the jingling 
bells and prancing feet pass on, they hurry out 
to see what the Saint has left them. The good 
children find their shoes full of candy, with per- 
haps a few shining pieces of money scattered in. 
But the naughty boy finds nothing but a switch. 
St. Nicholas does not fill the shoes of good and 
bad alike. 

This poem was written at Christmas time, 
for his children, by Professor Clement Moore, 
a Greek and Latin scholar. He lived in old 
Chelsea Village, now a part of New York City, 
near West 23rd Street. 

A VISIT FROM ST. NICHOLAS 

'Twas the night before Christinas, when all through 

the house 
Not a ereatnre was stirring, not evcMi a nionse; 



216 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care. 
In the hope that St. ^^ichola^s soon would be there; 
The children were nestled all snug in their beds, 
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads ; 
And mamma in her kerchief, and I in my cap, 
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap; 
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, 
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. 
Away to the window I flew like a flash. 
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash: — 
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow 
Gave the luster of mid-day to objects below, — 
When w^hat to my wondering eyes should appear 
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer. 
With a little old driver so lively and quick, 
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick. 
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came. 
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by 

name: 
^^Xow, Dasher ! now, Dancer ! now, Prancer ! and 

Vixen ! 
On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen ! 
To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall, 
T^ow, dash away! dash away! dash away all!'' 
As dry leaves before the wild hurricnne fly. 
When thev meet with an obstncle, mount to the sky. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 217 

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew 
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. iS^icholas too. 
And then in a twinkling I heard on the roof 
The prancing and pawing of each tiny hoof. 
As I drew in my head, and was turning around, 
Down the chimney St. J^icholas came w4th a bound. 
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, 
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and 

soot; 
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back, 
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack. 
His eyes — how they twinkled ! his dimples how 

merry ! 
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry ; 
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, 
And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow ; 
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, 
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath. 
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf. 
And T laughed when T saw him, in spite of myself. 
A wink of his eye, and a twist of his head, 
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread. 
He spoke not a word, but went straight to hi^ work. 
And filled nil the stockings; then turned with a jerk. 
And laying his finger nside of his nose. 
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose. 



218 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, 
And away they all flew, like the down of a thistle; 
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight, 
^']\Ierry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.'' 

— Clement C. Moore. 

Kerchief — a linen or silk covering for the 
head, a night-cap. 

Miniature — very small, tiny. 

Courser — a fleet, spirited horse. 

Elf — a fairy; often used to mean a mis- 
chievous little person. 

THE GREAT, WIDE, BEAUTIFUL WORLD 

WILLIAM BRIGHT Y EAXDS (LILLIPUT LEVEE) 

^^Let US look about us, now this very minute, 
at the World, and what we see in a single^ day. 
Look at the thousands and millions of trees, 
which made Luther say Avhen he was looking 
out of a Avindow at a forest, *What a quantity 
of wood the dear Lord God has to make !' And 
think of the grass, with more blades in a small 
fi(dd than you could count in a year, even if you 
could keep them separate to your mind and 
fingers as you went along; and remember that 
this green grass grows like a carpet all around 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 219 

the world, with red and white and blue flowers 
for a pattern; though there are some places, 
such as deserts, which are bald, and have no 
grass, and a great many places where there are 
streets and houses instead. Recollect how many 
rivers and ponds there are, and how the beauti- 
ful, Avonderful water is in almost every place 
that you can think of. Then think of the thou- 
sands and millions of men and women and chil- 
dren there are : white men, black men, red men, 
brown men. Think of the different sorts of food 
they eat, and the different things the}^ fight 
with, and the different ways in which they make 
their shelter from the weather. Some eat rice, 
and some eat meat, and some eat fish, and 
nearly all eat bread. Some live in tents, some 
live in brick houses, some live in wooden houses, 
some live in mud houses and some live nearly 
always in boats. Some fight with daggers, some 
with guns, some with bows and arrows, and 
some with tomahawks. Then think of all the 
shops, and the places where people make things, 
and the churches and other places where they 
go to say their prayers. Then you can think of 
all the fires the people light all over the world 
to sit by and to cook their food by, and all tlu^ 
fish going about tlu^ sea and the rivers, whales 



220 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

and sharks, and salmon, and trout; and all the 
coaches and carts, and the reading and the writ- 
ing, and the sitting down and standing np, and 
shaking hands, and the rubbing of noses (for 
that is the way in which some savages make 
friends with each other), and all the mothers 
kissing their little boys and girls, and the 
fathers working, and the beautiful wind blow- 
ing, and all the different goings on. Now you 
wdll have to shut your eyes, I dare say, to be 
able to think of some of these things ; but when 
you have done it as well as you can, you will 
have thought of the meaning of the word, 
Svqrld.' " 

From Lillipui Lectures, by W. B. Rands. 



thp: woxderful world ^ 

TYPE: LYRTC 

Great, wide, beautiful, wonderful world, 
With the wonderful water round you curled, 
And the wonderful gi'ass upon your breast, — 
World, you are beautifully dressed! 

* Musical sett in*; liy T'ornolia Rocske, in Soiuf Echoes frow 
Child Land. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 221 

The wonderful air is over me, 
And the wonderfnl wind is shaking the tree, 
It w^alks on the water, and whirls the mills, 
And talks to itself on the tops of the hills. 

A^on friendly Earth, how far do vou go. 

With the wheat-fields that nod, and the rivers that 

flow. 
With cities and gardens, and cliffs and ish^s. 
And people upon you for thousands of miles ? 

Ah, you are so great, and I am so small, 

I hardly can think of you. World, at all ; 

And yet, when I said my prayers to-day, 

A whisper within me seemed to say, 

^^You are more than the Earth, though you are such 

a dot, 
You can love and think, and the Earth cannot!'' 

WiLTJAM BriGUTY RaNDS. 

THE LAMPLIGHTER 

ROBERT LOinS STKVKNSON 

^^Loerio, Le(M-i(\ li<>-lit tlie hunps," sing the 
childr(ni in Scotland wIkmi the lamplighter 
comes down tlu^ strcn^t. Five-year-old Tjouis 
St(^v(Mison fVlt snrc^ that nothing could he ])h\as- 



222 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

anter than to carry around a spark of fire, and 
light the lamps from street to street. 

Every night, standing at the window, he 
watched for ^^Leerie," singing over and over 
again the little verse. Then as the lamplighter 
came to the lamp before the door, Louis would 
wave his hands, and rattle on the window, until 
the man looked up and nodded to him. That 
was all. ^^Leerie'' would go on to the next 
lamp, and Louis would go to bed happy, look- 
ing forward to the time when he would be old 
enough to light the lamps, and be called by the 
lovely name of ^^Leerie." 



THE LAMPLIGHTER 

TYPE: LYRIC 

My tea is nearly ready and the sun has left the sky ; 
It's time to take the window to see Leerie going by ; 
For e\^vj night at tea-time and before you take yonr 

seat, 
With lantern and with ladder he comes i)osting up 

the street. 

Now Tom would be a driver and IMaria go to sea, 
And my papa's a banker and as rich as he can be; 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 223 

But I, when I am stronger and can choose what I'm 

to do, 
O Leerie, I'll go round at night and light the lamps 

with you ! 

For we are very lucky, with a lamp before t-he door, 
And Leerie stops to light it as he lights so many 

more; 
And O, before you hurry by with ladder and with 

light, 
O Leerie, see a little child and nod to him to-night ! 
— Robert Louis Steve:s^sox. 

Used by permission of Charles Scrihner's Sons. 



WHICH LOVED BEST 

JOY ALLISON 

Julia was sure she had gone to bed in her 
own w^hite little cot. She knew it, because her 
mother had been called away before she had 
time to tuck her in. Bob had called up the 
stairway, ^^Oh, mother, come quick; I've cut my 
finger awfully," and mother had just kissed her, 
and gone, wdthout tucking* her in, or telling- a 
story, or anything, as usual. Julia liad tucked 
herself in, as well as she could, but slu^ did wish 



224 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

Bob had cut Ills finger at any other time; and 
she did think mother might have waited a 
moment. How much did her mother love her? 
she w^ondered. 

Yes, she had certainly gone to bed. But here 
she was, walking in such a queer country. 
Broken playthings lay around. Little girls were 
hugging headless or armless dolls, or clumsily 
mending torn dresses. Little boys were black 
and blue and scratched and torn, but no one 
seemed to have tied up their cuts, or plastered 
their scratches, or mended their stocking-knees. 
And they Avere all so dirty ! They ought to have 
been perfectly happy, but they did not look so. 
Julia could not help thinking of a forlorn little 
cat she had once found. 

^^What place is this?" asked she of one of the 
boys. 

^^This is the Wrong Side of the World,'Vhe 
answered. ^^ Children come here who think 
their mothers don't love them. My mother 
wouldn't give me three pieces of chocolate cake 
for supper. I've been her(^ for two months 
now. Of course, I have a pretend-mother, and 
she lets me have all the cake I Avant. But I 
don't care much for cake now, since it made me 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 225 

SO sick. I'm going to the Other Side of the 
World just as soon as the boat sails." 

^^What do the pretend-mothers do?" asked 
Julia. 

The little boy laughed and began jeeringly to 
sing: 

^Tretend-mothers say they love you, 
And they let you play all day ; 
But when you get in trouble, 
They turn the other way. 

^^Jack bruised his knee all black and blue, 
'Twas scraped right through the stocking, 
^I love you, dear,' said mother, then, 
And calmly kept oji rocking. 

" T love you,' mother said to Jean, 
Who tore her party dress. 
But she didn't help eTean mend it, — 
In spite of licr distress. 

^^When ]\laii(llc (b'oppod lioi' brand-new doll, 
^T love you,' mother said, 
Ibit slic didiTt slo]) IMaud's cryiiiii'. 



226 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

^^Pretend-mothers say they love you. 
But they never cure a cut, 
Or mend, or paste, or fix, or sew, 
They say they love you, but " 

^* That's the kind of place it is," he inter- 
rupted himself. ^^I'm not going to stay any 
longer. At first, I thonght it was nice to do 
as I pleased, but I was sick so often, and hurt 
myself so much that I don't like it after all. 
Besides I want a new kite, and I know my 
mother will help me make it. The pretend- 
mother I have here won't do anything for mo, 
at all. 

^ ^ I 'm going straight back, noAv, ' ' said Julia. 

^' You'd better," said he, ^^go back to the 
Mother Side of the World. I'm going, too. 
Good-bye." 

He disappeared. Julia opened her eyes. The 
lamp was still burning, and her mother was 
stooping over her bed, tucking her in. 

^^Oh, mother," she exclaimed, ^^I've had such 
a queer dream ; and oh, how much you love me." 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 227 

WHICH LOVED BEST 

TYPE: LYRIC 

^^I love you, mother/' said little John; 
Then, forgetting his work, his cap went on, 
And he was off to the garden swing, 
And left her the water and wood to bring. 

^^I love you, mother," said rosy Nell, 
^^I love you better than tongue can tell ;'^ 
Then she teased and pouted full half the day. 
Till her mother rejoiced when she went to play. 

^^I love you, mother,'' said little Fan, 

^^To-day I'll help you all I can; 
How glad I am that school doesn't keep !" 
So she rocked the babe till it fell asleep. 

Then, stepping softly, she brought the broom, 
And swept the floor, and tidied the room ; 
Busy and happy all day was she, — 
Helpful and cheerful as child can be. 

^^I love you, mother," again they said, — • 
Three little children going to bed ; 
How do you think that mother guessed 
Which of them really loved her l)est ? 

— Joy Almson. 



228 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

SEVEN TIMES ONE 

JEAN INGELOW 

The little seven-year-old in the poem was per- 
haps Jean Ingelow herself, for she, as a country- 
child, liked to run off alone to talk to the birds 
and flowers. Once she found twenty-seven 
kinds of flowers without leaving her seat in the 
grass. There are five kinds in these birthday 
verses. 

She understood bird-language, and knew 
what the birds said to each other. She knew, 
too, where to look for all the nests, and was 
careful never to touch the babies or frighten 
the mother-birds. 

Every winter, she fed the birds near her 
home by filling walnut-shells with suet, and 
lianging them on the bushes. Thus she kept 
her feathere,d friends the whole year round, for 
birds fly south for food rather than for warmth. 

All country children can find the flowers and 
birds where Jean IngeloAV found them, — in 
woods and fields. City children are not so rich, 
but they have vacations^ or fresh-air weeks in 
summer; and in the libraries, if not in their 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 229 

homes, are beautiful books of bird- and plant- 
lore, with wonderful pictures, colored from life. 
These can be studied, in fair ^weather or foul, 
and when vacation-time comes, one needs no in- 
troduction to Miss Jennie Wren, or Mr. Cock 
Robin. If someone has been kind enough to put 
a little kodak in the lunch-box, many a shy 
singer or comical family group can be 
^^ snapped," to add to one's own ^^nature- 
book." 



SEVEN TIMES ONE ^ 

TYPE: LYRIC 

There's no dew left on the daisies and clover; 

There's no rain left in heaven ; 
I've said my ^^seven times" over and over 

Seven times one are seven. 

I am old, so old, I can write a letter ; 

My birthday lessons are done; 
The lambs play always; they know no better; 

They are only one times one. 

* Musiojil sotting, Aiioiiymoiis, in Franldin i^quarc Son</ Col- 
lection. 



230 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

moon ! in the night I have seen you sailing 
And shining so round and low ; 

You were bright! -ah, bright, but your light is fail- 
ing— 
You are nothing now but a bow. 

You moon, have you done something wrong in 
heaven. 
That God has hidden your face ? 

1 hope, if you have, you wdll soon be forgiven. 
And shine again in your place. 

O velvet bee, you're a dusty fellow. 
You've pow^dered your legs wath gold ! 

O brave marsh marybuds, rich and yellow ! 
Give me your money to hold ! 

O columbine, open your folded wrapper, 
Where two twin turtle-doves dw^ell; 

cuckoopint, toll me the purple clapper 
That hangs in your clear green bell ! 

And show me your nest with the young ones in it ; 
I will not steal them aw^ay; 

1 am old ! you may trust me, linnet, linnet — 
I am seven times one to-day. 

— Jean Ingelow. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 231 

FRIENDS 

ABBIE FARWELL BROWN 

A Child was working in the Garden of the 
World. Carefully he planted the tiny seeds in 
the soft earth, some in rows, some in circles, 
some scattered about. Then came Love, the 
Gardener, who had spaded up the ground, and 
made the beds ready for the planting. 

^^We must ask the Great Friends to help us 
now," said Love, ^Hhe Great Friends, Sun and 
Wind and Rain and Sky. If they do not help 
us, our garden will fail." 

The Child looked toward the bright afternoon 
sun, and cried, ^^Dear Friend Sun, please help 
us with our Garden. Shine gently upon it, 
warm the little seeds, and help make them grow 
and blossom." 

And then he called to the Rain to fall tenderly 
upon the earth, to moisten the seeds without 
washing them away, and to help make them 
grow and blossom. 

Then as the wind came stealing over tlie 
grass, the Child asked him to blow carefully 
upon the tender growing things that were to 
come, and help makc^ tluMii grow and blossom. 



232 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

Last of all, the Child turned his face up to 
the Grc^at Friend, Sky, high above the Sun and 
Kain and Wind. '^Only smile, dear Friend 
Sky," said the Child, ^^ smile upon my Garden, 
and help it to grow and blossom." 

And in the days that came after, the Garden 
grew and budded and blossomed, and bore 
fruit, for it was loved by the four Great 
Friends, without whose help nothing may grow 
in the Garden of the World. 

FETEXDS 

TYPE: LYRIC 

How good to lie a little while 
And look up through the tree! 

The Sky is like a kind big smile 
Bent sweetly over nie. 

The Snn shine flickers through the lace 

Of leaves above my head, 
And kisses me upon the face 

Like Mother, before bed. 

The Wind comes stealing o'er the grass 

To whisper pretty things, 
And thongh T cannot see him pass, 

T feel his careful wings. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 233 

So many gentle Friends are near 

Whom one can scarcely see, 
A child should never feel a fear, 

Wherever he may be. 

From A Poclcetful of Posies. 
— Abbie Fakwell Browx. 

Used by permission of, and Vy special arrangement with, 
Houghton Mifflin Company, the authorized publishers. 



THE TWENTY-THIRD PSALM * 

DAVID 

TYPE: PASTORAL 

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures ; he 
leadeth me beside the still waters. 

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the })aths 
of righteousness for his name's sake. 

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the 
shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for tliou art 
with me; thy rod and thy stafl^' they comfort me. 

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence 
of mine enemies; thou anointcst my head with oil: 
my cup runneth over. 

* ATi\sioal sottiiior by Mendelssohn, in New Educational Music 
Course, Fifth Beadcr. . 



234 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the 
days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of 
the Lord for ever. 

' ' The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. ' ' 
All that follows is that thought put in varying 
light. 

^^He maketh me to lie down in green pas- 
tures"; nourishment, rest. '^He leadeth me 
beside the still waters"; refreshment. You 
think here of quietly flowing streams, and get 
only another picture of rest. But streams are 
few in that shepherd countr}^, and the shepherds 
do not rely on them. To the shepherd, ^^the 
still waters" are wells and cisterns, and he leads 
his sheep to these still waters not for rest, but 
to bring up water to quench their thirst. 

*^He restoreth my soul." ^^Soul" means the 
life or one's self, in the Hebrew writings. There 
are private fields and gardens and vineyards 
in the shepherd country, and if a sheep straj^s 
into them and be caught there, it is forfeited 
to the owner of the land. So, ^^He restoreth 
my soul" means ^^the shepherd brings me back 
and rescues my life from forbidden and fatal 
places." 

'^He leadeth me in the paths of righteous- 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 235 

ness for his name's sake" ; often have I roamed 
through the shepherd country in my youth, and 
watched how hard it is to choose the right path 
for the sheep ; one leads to a precipice, another 
to a place where the sheep cannot find the way 
back ; and the shepherd was always going ahead, 
^ heading" them in the right paths, proud of his 
good name as a shepherd. 

Some paths that are right paths still lead 
through places that have deadly perils. ^^Yea, 
though I walk through the valley of the shadow 
of death'' is the way the psalm touches this 
fact in shepherd life. I remember one valley 
called ^^the valley of robbers" and another ^^the 
ravine of the raven." You see ^Hhe valley of 
the shadow of death" is a name drawn from 
my country's old custom. And so is the phrase 
^^Thy rod and thy staff," for the shepherds 
carry a weapon for defense and one for guid- 
ance. Ah, you should see the sheep cuddle near 
the shepherd to understand the words, ^^They 
comfort me." 

^^Thou preparest a taWe before me — in the 
presence of mine enemies." There is no liigluM- 
task of the shepherd in my country than to go 
from time to time to study placets and t^xainiiK^ 
the grass and find a good and saf(^ fiHHliiig placr 



236 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

for his sheep. There are many poisonous plants 
in the grass, and the shepherd mnst find and 
avoid them. Then there are snake holes, and 
the snakes bite the noses of the sheep if they 
be not driven away. And around the feeding- 
ground which the shepherd thus prepares, in 
holes and caves in the hillsides, there are 
jackals, wolves, hyenas, and tigers, too, and the 
bravery and skill of the shepherd are at the 
highest point in closing up these dens with 
stones or slaying the wild beasts with his long- 
bladed knife. Of nothing do you hear shop- 
herds boasting more proudly than of their 
achievements in this part of their care of 
flocks. 

Now the psalm closes with the last scene of 
the day. At the door of the sheep-fold the shep- 
herd stands, and ^^the rodding of the sheep" 
takes place. The shepherd stands, turning his 
body to let the sheep jjass; he is the door, as 
Christ said of Himself. With his rod he holds 
back the sheep Avhile he inspects them one by 
one as they pass into the fold. He has the horn 
filled with olive oil and he has cedar-tar, and 
he anoints a knee bruised on the rocks or a side 
scratched by thorns. And here comes one that 
is not bruised, but is simply worn and ex- 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 237 

hausted; he bathes its face and head with the 
refreshing olive-oil and he takes the large two- 
handled cnp, and dips it brimming full from the 
vessel of water provided for •that purpose, and 
he lets the weary sheep drink. ^^He anointeth 
my head with oil, my cup runneth over. ' ' 

And then when the day is done, and the sheep 
are snug within the fold, what contentment, 
what rest under the starry sky! Then comes 
the thought of deepest repose and comfort: 
^^ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all 
the days of my life," as they have through all 
the wanderings of the day now ended. 

And the song ends, and the sheep are at rest, 
safe in the good shepherd's fold; ^^I will dwell 
in the house of the Lord forever." 

From Wm. AlleA Knight's The Song of Our Siirian Guest. 
Used by permission of The Pilgrim Press, Boston, Mass. 



HIAWATHA 

HENRY W. LONGFKLLOW 

In the Indian legend, Hiawatha was sent by 
the Great Spirit to teach the arts of peace to 
his people. Many tribes told this tale of Ukmi* 
wonderful hero, and Lougfc^llow has ))ut into 



238 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

verse the stories told by the Ojibway Indians, 
on the southern shore of Lake Superior. 

It is interesting to know that the Ojibways, 
who still live by Lake Superior, love so well 
Longfellow's story of their great leader that 
they act the poem every year on the shore of the 
Lake. They rehearse for a long time before- 
hand, and great crowds go to see the play. 



HIAWATHA'S CHILDHOOD 

TYPE: EPIC 

There the wrinkled, old Xokomis 
Xursed the little Hiawatha, 
Rocked him in his linden cradle, 
Bedded soft in moss and rushes, 
Safely bound with reindeer sinews; 
Stilled his fretful wail by saying, 
''Hush! the Xaked Bear will hear thee!" 
Lulled him into slumber, singing, 
''Ewa-yea ! my little owlet! 
Who is this, that \\^\{s the wigwam ? 
With his great eyes lights the wigwam ? 
Ewa-yea ! my little owh^t !'' 
Many things Nokomis taught him 
Of the stars that shine in heaven; 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 239 

Showed him Ishkoodah, the comet, 
Ishkoodah, with fiery tresses ; 
Showed the Death-Dance of the spirits, 
Warriors with their plumes and war-clubs, 
Flaring far away to northward 
In the frosty nights of Winter ; 
Showed the broad, Avhite road in heaven, 
Pathway of the ghosts, the shadows. 
Running straight across the heavens, 
Crowded with the ghosts, the shadows. 

At the door on summer evenings 
Sat the little Hiawatha ; 
Heard the whispering of the pine-trees, 
Heard the lapping of the waters. 
Sounds of music, words of wonder; 
^^Minne-wawa!" said the pine-trees, 
^^Mudway-aushka !'' said the water. 

Saw the firefly, Wah-wah-taysee, 
Flitting through the dusk of evening, 
With the twinkle of its candle 
Lighting up the brakes and bushes. 
And he sang the soug of children, 
Sang the song Nokomis taught him; 
^^Wah-wah-taysee, little fire-fly. 
Little, flitting, white-fire insect, 
Little, dancing wliito-firo creature, 
Light me with your little candle, 



240 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

Ere upon my bed I lay me, 

Ere ill sleep I close my eyelids !" 

Saw the moon rise from the water 
Eippling, rounding from the w^ater, 
Saw the flecks and shadows on it, 
Whispered, ^^What is that, Xokomis ?" 
And the good Xokomis answered: 
^'Once a warrior, very angry, 
Seized his grandmother, and threw her 
Up into the sky at midnight ; 
Right against the moon he threw her ; 
'Tis her body that yon see there." 

Saw the rainbow in the heaven, 
In the eastern sky, the rainbow. 
Whispered, ^^What is that, Xokomis ?'' 
And the good Xokomis answered: 
'' 'Tis the heaven of flowers yon see there; 
All the wild-flowers of the forest. 
All the lilies of the prairie. 
When on earth they fade and perish, 
Blossom in that heaven above ns." 

When he heard the owls at midnight, 
Hooting, langhing in the forest, 
^^What is that?" he cried in terror; 
^^What is that?" he said, ^^Xokomis?" 
And the good Xokomis answered : 
^^Tliat is bnt the owl and owlet. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 241 

Talking In their native language, 
Talking, scolding at each other." 

Then the little Hiawatha 
Learned of every bird its language, 
Learned their names and all their secrets, 
How they built their nests in Summer, 
Where they hid themselves in Winter, 
Talked with them whene'er he met them. 
Called them ^^Hiawatha's Chickens.'' 

Of all beasts he learned the language. 
Learned their names and all their secrets, 
How the beavers built their lodges. 
Where the squirrels hid their acorns. 
How the reindeer ran so swiftly, 
Why the rabbit was so timid. 
Talked with them whene'er he met them, 
Called them ^^Hiawatha's Brothers." 

— Henry W. Longfi:llow. 

Used hy permission of, and by arrangement with, ILoughion 
Mifflin Company. 

Nokomis — grandmother. 
Hiawatha — the wise man; tln^ 1(\-u'1um'. 
Linden — a tree of soft, whiter wood. 
Sinews — mnseular fibcM's oi* coi'ds. 
Ewa yea — lullaby. 



242 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

Ishkoodah — a comet — a heavenly body, like a 
star with a flaming tail of light. 

The Deatli-Dcmce of the spirits — the North- 
ern Lights. 

The broad, white road — the Milky Way. 

Minue-ivaiva — a pleasant sound, as that of the 
wind in the trees. 

Muddvau-aushka — the sound of waves on the 
shore. 

Wah-wah-taysee — the firefly. 

Lodges — Usually, Indian huts or tepees of 
bark, skins, and poles. Here, the dens or houses 
built by beavers of trees (gnawed down by 
themselves), driftwood, mud and stones. 

THE 121 ST PSALM 

The fifteen Psalms beginning with the 120th 
and ending with the 135th .are called ^^The Pil- 
grim Psalter. " '^ These songs are lyrics of won- 
derful power and grace. It was the custom of 
the [Jewish] people to sing them on their jour- 
neys up to the great religious festivals held in 
Jerusalem. Imagine a caravan of people com- 
ing from the north country, picking up their 
relatives and neighbors in the villages through 
which they went, camping out by the wayside 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 243 

over night, and singing their national hjTuns by 
the camp-fires. As the Judean hills came 
closer, and Mount Zion hurst upon their view, 
they would break out with such a song as this. 
In their journeying they would know the need 
of a firm foot for climbing^ of protection as 
they slept, of a merciful Providence that would 
keep them both from sunstroke by day and from 
moonstroke, or the lunacy or epilepsy that they 
believed came often from sleeping in the moon- 
light. They looked to Jehovah to keep them 
from all evil." 

From Geographic Influences in Old Testament Masterpieces, 
by Laura H. Wild. Used by permission of Ginn & Company, 
publishers. 



THE 121st psalm 

TYPK: PASTORAL 

I will lift np mine eyes unto the niountaiiis: 

Froiri whence shall niy help come ? 

My help cometh from Jehovah, 

Who made heaven and earth. 

He will not snflfer thy foot to be moved : 

He that keepeth thee will not slumber. 

Behold, he that keepeth Israel 

Will neither slumber nor sleep. 



244 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

Jehovah is thy keeper: 

Jehovah is thy shade upon thy right hand. 

The sun shall not smite thee by day, 

Xor the moon by night. 

Jehovah will keep thee from all evil ; 

He will keep thy soul. 

Jehovah will keep thy going ont and thy coming in 

From this time forth and for evermore. 

Jehovah — God. 

Israel — an ancient country, whose people 
were called ^'the chosen of God." 

Shade — a protection from the sun, — much 
needed in Judea. 

Gomg out and coming in — refers to the daily 
travels, the departure for and return from the 
day's work. 

THE MILLER OF DEE 

CHAELES MACKAY 

King Henry the Eighth, of England, was very 
popular as a young man, and was called ^' bluff 
King Hal" from his hearty way of talking. It 
is said that he often went out in disguise, in 
search of adventure, and many amusing stories 
were told of his encounters with people who 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 245 

would have been terrified had they known that 
he was the king. 

Once, for instance, he scraped acquaintance 
with a cobbler, and spent an evening with him, 
chatting, drinking, and singing. The cobbler 
was delighted with his new acquaintance, and 
gladly accepted an invitation to visit him. 

^^I have a position at the court," said the dis- 
guised king. ' ' So just ask for Harry Tudor. 
They all know me. ' ' 

In a short time, the cobbler went to make his 
visit. The king had given orders to his ser- 
vants, and as soon as the visitor asked for 
Harry Tudor, they led him to the king, whom 
he found in robes of state, surrounded by lords 
and ladies, all in splendid attire. The poor cob- 
bler, bowing low, and hardly daring to raise his 
eyes from the floor, explained that he had only 
come to see his friend, Harry Tudor. 

^^You shall see your friend," said the king, 
and ordered the cobbler to be taken to Harry 
Tudor 's room. 

A few moments later, Harry Tudor, dressed 
as at their first meeting, entered the room, and 
gave the cobbler a hearty welcome. The cob- 
bler, at once, began to tell him of th(^ king's 
kindness to him. In th(^ midsl of 1h(^ stoi'v, in 



246 THE FRIEXDLY POETS [Part III 

came the courtiers once more, each one bowing 
low before Harry Tudor. 

The poor cobbler stared with all his eyes, and 
then fell on his knees. ^^ Forgive me, your 
majesty," he cried, ^^ forgive me for making so 
free." 

But the king only laughed, saying that he was 
Harr;r Tudor, as well as King of England, and 
the cobbler's very good friend. The poor fel- 
low could not respond to the laugh, however, 
and so the king let him go home, still full of 
awe, but proud and happy. Nor did King 
Henry's friendship stop here. To the day of 
his death, the cobbler received forty marks a 
year from the royal treasury, and was admired 
and looked up to by all his neighbors, as the 
friend of the king. 

THE MILLER OF DEE ^ 

TYPE: LYRIC 

There dwelt a miller, hale and bold, 

Jieside the river Dee; 
He worked and sang from morn to night, 

Xo lark more blithe than he; 

* Musical setting, Anon^Tiious, in Academy Song Boole, Book 
of a TJ'.ouscind Songs, FranJcUn Square Song Collection, No. 2; 
Golden Bool:. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 2A1 

And this the burden of his song 

For ever used to be, — 
"I envy nobody, no, not I, 

And nobody envies me !" 

^^Thou'rt v^rong, my friend!'' said old king Hal, 

^^Thou'rt wrong as wrong can be ; 
For could my heart be light as thine, 

I'd gladly change with thee. 
And tell me now what makes thre sing 

With voice so loud and free. 
While I am sad, though I'm the king. 

Beside the river Dee ?" 

The miller smiled and doff'd his cap ; 

^^I earn my bread," quoth he; 
"I love my wife, I love my friends, 

I love my children three ; 
I owe no penny I can not pay; — 

I thank the river Dee, 
That turns the mill that grinds the corn, 

That feeds my babes and me." 

^^Good friend !" said Hal, and sighM the while, 

^Tarewell; and happy be; 
But say no more, if thou'dst be true, 
luit no one envies thee. 



'■f'^i 



248 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

Thy mealy cap is worth my crown, — 

Tliy mill, my kingdom's fee ! 
Such men as thou are England's boast, 

O miller of the Dee!" 

— Charles Mackay. 

Mark — an old English coin worth about $3.25. 

Hale — hoaltliy. 

Blithe — happy. 

Dee — a river in Northwest England. 

King Hal — King Henry of England. 

Mealy cap — the miller's cap is usually cov- 
ered with the fine flour. 

Fee — the king's income or wealth. 

England's boast — the type of manhood Eng- 
land is proud of. 

THE SANDPIPER 

CELTA LATGHTOX TIIAXTER (MRS. LEVI THAXTER) 

The daughter of a lighthouse-keeper, Celia 
Thaxter lived nearly all her life on one of the 
Isles of Shoals, off the coast of New Hampshire. 
As a bare-footed little girl, playing on the beach, 
she was the friend of all the birds of the island, 
she was familiar with every look which the 
ocean might wear, she knew the signs of storm 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 249 

or clear weather ; for the home fire she gathered 
driftwood which the sea tossed upon the sand, 
and altogether led a most delightful out-door 
life. Of this happy existence she has told us 
much in her poems, and in her book, Among 
the Isles of Shoals. In this book she says : 

The sandpipers build in numbers on the islands, and the 
young birds, which look like tiny tufts of fog, run about among 
the bayberry buslias, with sweet, scared piping. They are 
exquisitely beautiful and delicate, covered with a down just 
like gray mist; with brilliant black eyes and slender, graceful 
legs, that make one think of grass-stems. 

These little sandpipers live on shell-fish, sand 
worms and fish eggs, and other food which may 
be left on the beach by the waves. To obtain 
this sea-fare, they follow each retreating wave 
even to the point where the next incoming wave 
seems ready to break and sweep them away. 
But exactly at this second, the sandpiper turns 
and scuds up the beach on his slim, stilt-like 
legs, just barely ahead of the water. If it 
should overtake him, his little wings lift him 
above the deluge, until the wave draws back, 
when he is again in its wake, searching for his 
dinner. Just before a storm, sandpipers are 
often seen running up and down the beach, as 
told here by the little girl of the lighthouse. 



250 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

THE SAXDPIPER 

TYPE: LYRIC 

Across the narrow beach we flit, 

One little sandpiper and I, 
And fast I gather, bit by bit, 

The scattered drift-wood, bleached and dry. 
The wild waves reach their hands for it, 

The wild wind raves, the tide runs high, 
As lip and down the beach w^e flit. 

One little sandpiper and I. 

Above our heads the sullen clouds 

Scud, black and swift, across the sky; 
Like silent ghosts in misty ghrouds 

Stand out the white lighthouses high. 
Almost as far as eye can reach 

I see the close-reefed vessels fly. 
As fast we flit along the beach, 

One little sandpiper and I. 

I watch him as he skims along. 

Uttering his sweet and mournful cry; 

He starts not at my fitful song, 
Or flash of fluttering drapery. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 251 

He has no thought of any wrong; 

He scans me with a fearless eye ; 
Stanch friends are we, well tried and strong, 

The little sandpiper and I. 

Comrade, where wilt thou be to-night, 

When the loosed storm breaks furiously ? 
My drift-wood fire will burn so bright ! 

To what warm shelter canst thou fly? 
I do not fear for thee, though wroth 

The tempest rushes through the sky; 
For are we not God's children both. 

Thou, little sandpiper, and I ? 

— Celia Titaxter. 

This poem is used hy permission of, and hy special arrange- 
ment withy Houghton Mifflin Company, the authorized pub- 
lishers. 

Flit — skim rapidly over the surface of the 
earth, fly lightly. 

Drifhvood — wood deposited on the beach by 
the tide. 

Sullen — somber or gray. 

Close-reefed — sailors sliorten sail before a 
storm by nH^fnig to the boom or yard. 

Starts — to sliow signs of feai* or fright. 

Wroth — angry, describing th(^ tempest. 



252 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

THE AMERICAN FLAG 

JOSEPH RODMAX DRAKE 

In March, 1819, a series of poems signed 
*^ Croaker and Co." began to appear in the New 
York Evening Post, They were amusing, they 
made fun of many well-known men and women ; 
they jested on topics of the day. The little old 
New York of that time read them with delight, 
and wondered in vain who might be the author. 

When the secret came out at last, the city 
knew that Fitz-G-reene Halleck, later the author 
of Marco Bozzaris^ and Joseph Rodman Drake, 
*^the handsomest man in New York," had been 
thus amusing themselves. 

One of the poems signed ^'Croaker and Co." 
was The American Flag, which appeared in the 
Post for May 29th, 1819, when Drake was only 
twenty-four years old. The last four lines, as 
he himself wrote them, were: 

And fixed as yonder orb divine, 

That saw thy bannered l)laze unfurled, 

Shall thy proud stars resplendent shine, 
The gnard and glory of tlio world. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 253 

Halleck thought these could be improved 
upon, and Drake willingly accepted his friend's 
suggestion of the four lines which w^e know. 

THE AMEEICAN FLAG ^ 

TYPE: LYRIC— AN ANTHEM 

When Freedom from her mountain height 
Unfurled her standard to the air. 

She tore the azure robe of night, 
And set the stars of glory there. 

She mingled with its gorgeous dyes 

The milky baldric of the skies, 

And striped its pure celestial white 

With streakings of the morning light; 

Then from his mansion in the sun 

She called her eagle-bearer down. 

And gave into his mighty hand 

The symbol of her chosen land. 



Flag of the seas ! on ocean's wave, 
Thy stars shall glitter oVr the brave; 
When death, careering on the gale, 
Sweeps darkly ronnd the bellied sail, 

* Musical setting by Arthur F. M. Custaueo, in Sonus of tJir 
Flag and Nalion. 



254 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Va:rt III 

And frighted waves rush wildly back 
Before the broadside's reeling rack, 
Each dying wanderer of the sea 
Shall look at once to heaven and thee. 
And smile to see thy splendors fly 
In triumph o'er his closing eye! 

Flag of the free heart's hope and home, 

By angel hands to valor given 
Thy stars have lit the welkin dome, 

And all thy hues were born in heaven! 
Forever float that standard sheet ! 

Where breathes the foe but falls before us. 
With Freedom's soil beneath our feet, 

And Freedom's banner streaming o'er us ? 
— Joseph Kodmax Drake. 

Standard — flag. 

Azure — clear sky-blue color. 

Dyes — colors. 

Milky baldric — the famous Milky Way in the 
sky. 

Striped — made the stripes (of the flag). 

His mansion in the sun — refers to the fact 
that the eagle builds his nest on the highest 
mountain-peaks. 

Careering — moving swiftly forward. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 255 

Bellied sail — the full sail puffed up by a 
strong wind. 

Reeling rack — refers to the heavy listing of a 
war vessel during a fight on a stormy sea. 

To valor given — given as a reward for 
courage. 

Welkin dome — the sky. 



ROBIN HOOD 

JOHN KEATS 

Eobin Hood was born at Locksly, in Notting- 
ham County, England, about 1160. His real 
name was Robert Fitzooth, which was soon 
changed to Robin Hood, though he was some- 
times called Locksly. In Sherwood Forest he 
made his home, with over a hundred comrades, 
all skilled in the use of bow and arroAV. They 
lived by shooting the deer in the forest, and 
by robbing the rich of money or goods. Poor 
people, and those who wore in trouble, were 
often helped by the outlaw, Robin Hood. 

Dozens of songs and ballads tell the adven- 
tures of Robin Hood and his band of ^^merrie 
men." They are important eliaract(M*s in 
Scott's novel, Ivanhoc. Little John, G(H)rg(^ of 



253 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

Green, Will Scarlet, Much the Miller's Son, 
Friar Tuck, and Allan-a-Dale, are most fre- 
quently mentioned. 



EOBIX HOOD 

TYPE: LESSEE EPIC— BALLAD 

Xo ! those days are gone away, 
And their hours are old and gray, 
And their minutes buried all 
Under the down-trodden pall 
Of the leaves of many years ; 
Many times have winter's shears. 
Frozen Xorth, and chilling East, 
Sounded tempests to the feast 
Of the forest's whispering fleeces 
Since men knew nor rents nor leases. 

No, the bugle sounds no more. 
And the twanging bow no more; 
Silent is the ivory shrill, 
Past the heath and up the hill ; 
There is iio mid-forest laugh. 
Whose lone Echo gives the half 
To some wight amaz'd to hear 
Jesting, deep in forest drear. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 257 

On the fairest time of June 
You may go, with sun or moon, 
Or the seven stars to light you, 
Or the polar ray to right you; 
But you never may behold 
Little John, or Robin bold; 
Never one, of all the clan 
Thrumming on an empty can 
Some old hunting ditty, while 
He doth his green way beguile 
To fair hostess Merriment, 
Down beside the pasture Trent; 
For he left the merry tale 
Messenger for spicy ale. 

Gone, the merry morris din; 
Gone, the song of Gamelyn; 
Gone, the toughbelted outlaw 
Idling in the ^^grene shawe" — 
All are gone away and past ! 
And if Robin should be cast 
Sudden from his turfed grave, 
And if Marian should have 
Once again her forest days, 
She would weep, and he would craze; 
He would swear, for all liis onks, 
Fnll'ii bequeath the dockvard sti'ok(^s. 



258 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

Have rotted on the briny seas; 
She would weep that her wild bees 
Sang not to her — strange! that honey 
Can't be got without hard money! 

So it is: yet let us sing, 
Honor to the old bow-string! 
Honor to the bugle-horn ! 
Honor to the woods unshorn ! 
Honor to the Lincoln green ! 
Honor to the archer keen ! 
Honor to tight Little John, 
And the horse he rode upon ! 
Honor to bold Robin Hood, 
Sleeping in the underwood! 
Honor to Maid Marian, 
And to all the Sherwood-clan! 
Though their days have hurried by, 
Let us two a burden try ! 

— John Keats. 

Winter^ s shears — the two winter winds, the 
North and the East. 

Forest^s ivhispering fleeces — leaves of the 
forest. 

Bugle — used for signalling by Robin Hood's 
band. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 259 

Ivory shrill — a Avhistle or fife. 

Wight — person. 

The seven stars — the Pleiades. In ancient 
times, navigation on the Mediterranean lasted 
from May to November — the time during which 
the Pleiades were visible in the sky. 

The polar ray — the light of the pole-star, or 
star nearest the North Pole. It acts as a com- 
pass. How? 

Pasture Trent — field beside the Trent river. 

Morris — an old dance. 

Gamelyn — one of the foresters. 

^^Grene shawe^' — the green forest. 

Marian — Maid Marian, beloved by Robin 
Hood. 

Dockyard strokes — ^many trees from Sher- 
wood Forest were used in later years for build- 
ing ships. 

Woods unshorn — uncut forests. 

Tight — trim or neat. 

Burden — a refrain. 

EXCELSIOR 

HENRY WADSWORTH LONG FALLOW 

One evening Longfellow p1ck(Ml up a scrap of 
newspaper bearing the seal of Ncnv Yoik State 



260 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

— a shield with a rising sun, and the word, 
* ^Excelsior." That one word gave him an idea, 
and within a few days he had completed these 
verses. Some time afterward, in a letter to a 
friend, he wrote this explanation of the poem: 
^^I have had the pleasure of receiving your 
note in regard to the poem, 'Excelsior,' and 
very willingly give yon my intention in writing 
it. This was no more than to display, in a 
series of pictures, the life of a man of genius, 
resisting all temptations, laying aside all fears, 
heedless of all warnings, and pressing right on 
to accomplish his purpose. His motto is Ex- 
celsior, 'higher.' He passes through the Alpine 
village — through the rough, cold paths of the 
world — where the peasants cannot understand 
him, and where his watchword is an 'unknown 
tongue.' He disregards the happiness of do- 
mestic peace, and sees the glaciers — ^his fate — 
before him. He disregards the warnings of the 
old man's wisdom and the fascinations of 
woman's love. He answers to all, 'higher yet.' 
The monks of Saint Bernard are the represen- 
tatives of religious forms and ceremonies, and 
with their oft-repeated prayer mingles the 
sound of his voice, telling them there is some- 
thing higher than forms and ceremonies. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 261 

Filled with these aspirations he perishes, with- 
out having reached the perfection he longed 
for; and the voice in the air is the promise of 
immortality and progress ever upward." 

From George Lowell Austin's Henry Wadsivorth Longfellow. 



EXCELSIOR 

TYPE: DIDACTIC 

The shades of night were falling fast, 
As through an Alpine village passed 
A youth, who bore, 'mid snow and ice, 
A banner with the strange device, 
Excelsior ! 

His brow was sad ; his eye beneath 
Flashed like a falchion from its sheath. 
And like a silver clarion rung 
The accents of that unknown tongue. 
Excelsior ! 

In happy homes he saw the light 
Of household fires gleam warm and bright : 
Above, the spectral glaciers shone, 
And from liis lips escapes! a groan. 
Excelsior ! 



262 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

^^Try not tlie pass/' the old man said ; 

^^Dark lowers the tempest overhead^ 
The roaring torrent is deep and wide!" 
And lond that clarion voice replied, 
Excelsior ! 

^^0 stay/' the maiden said, ^^and rest 
Thy weary head upon this breast !'' 
A tear stood in his bright bine eye, 
But still he answered with a sigh, 
Excelsior ! 

^^Beware the pine tree's withered branch ! 
Beware the awfnl avalanche!" 
This w^as the peasant's hist Good-night. 
A voice replied, far np the height, 
Excelsior ! 

At break of day, as heavenward 
The pions monks of Saint Bernard 
Uttered the oft-repeat(Ml prayer, 
A voice cried throngh the startled air, 
Excelsior ! 

A traveler, by the faithfnl honnd, 
Half-bnried in llie snow was found, 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 263 

Still grasping in his hand of ice 
That banner with the strange device, 
Excelsior ! 

There in the twilight cold and gray, 
Lifeless, but beautiful, he lay. 
And from the sky, serene and far 
A voice fell, like a fallings star. 

Excelsior ! 

—Henry Wadsworth Loxgfellow. 

Used hy permission of, and hy arrangement with, Houghton 
Mifflin Company. 

Alpine village — a village in the Alps moun- 
tains. 

Excelsior — a Latin word meaning ^^ higher.'' 

Falchion — a broad bladed sword. 

Spectral glaciers — the huge ice drifts looked 
ghastly. 

Avalanche — great bodies of sliding ice and 
snow. 

St. Bernard — the world famed monastery of 
the Alps. 

Faithful hound — a St. Bernard dog. These 
animals are noted for the rescue and ridiel* w oik 
they do in the Alps. 



264 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

BREAK, BREAK, BREAK 

ALFEED TENNYSON 

A poem of sixteen lines, and one of more than 
that number of pages can hardly be compared. 
It should be remembered, however, that these 
sixteen lovely lines express the same feeling of 
bereavement as the longer poem, In Memoriam, 
and spring from the same deep well of sorrow 
in the poet's heart. 

Tennyson's dearest friend, Arthur Hallam, 
died suddenly in 1833. The poet's grief was for 
a long time too deep for words. After nine 
years, appeared this first brief expression of 
his sorrow. In Memoriam was printed in 1850, 
although it had been written in detached frag- 
ments at intervals throughout the entire seven- 
teen years. 

BREAK, BREAK, BREAK ^ 

TYPE: DEAMATIC LYEIC 

Break, break, break, 

On tliy cold gray stones, O Sea ! 
And I would that my tongue could utter 

The thoughts that arise in me. 

* Musical setting by W. E. Dempster, in Bool: of a Thmisand 
tSongs, and Our Familiar Songs; by Georg Henschel, in Songs 
from Tennyson. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 265 

O well for the fisherman's boy^ 

That he shouts with his sister at play! 

well for the sailor lad, 

That he sings in his boat on the bay ! 

And the stately ships go on 

To their haven nnder the hill; 
But O for the touch of a vanished hand, 

And the sound of a voice that is still ! 

Break, break, break. 

At the foot of thy crags, Sea ! 
But the tender grace of a day that is dead 

Will never come back to me. 

Alfred Tennysox. 

The poet says his feeling is so deep and 
strong that words cannot express it. Are his 
emotions sad or happy? What two words of 
Stanza 1 answer this? 

The fisherman's children ought to be gay 
while they have the chance, for they never can 
tell just when the sea will claim their father. 
The vessel returns to the harbor and to safety, 
but one of its crew is missing. No words can 
express how^ the lone wife or mother longs for 
the sound of the voice and the touch of the 



266 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

hands of the one who has departed. The 
tragedy of the sea goes on forever. The sea 
claims its dead. They never return. Neither 
do the past joys which have been turned into 
sorrow. 

ROBERT OF LINCOLN 

WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT 

Many names has the bobolink — reed-bird, 
rice-bird, butter-bird, skunk-bird — and still 
others, perhaps, in other tongues, for he passes 
the winters in Mexico, Central America, or 
even the northern part of South America. 
Early in the spring, small parties of bobolinks 
appear in the Southern States, flying North for 
summer. Coming from a land of summer all 
the year round; how can they know when to 
start North? Yet they do know, and are so 
regular, year after year, that one may nearly 
tell the day of the month by the coming of the 
bobolinks. They arrive in Georgia about the 
20th of April; are in the District of Columbia 
from May 1st to 15th ; reach Long Island, New 
York, about the 20th of May, and by the end 
of May are abundant in Middle New England. 

All along their course they are hunted with- 
out mercy. In the South, they live, almost en-^ 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 267 

tirely on rice and grain. In the South, too, 
reed-birds are thought a delicious dish ; so that 
between the farmer who protects his fields, and 
the pot-hunter, killing for the market or for his 
own dinner, the birds are shot by thousands 
every year, in the spring and fall. 

In the North, there is a different story. They 
start South once more early in September, and 
during the three summer months, there is little 
grain that they care for, while other food is 
abundant. So they live during this time, and 
bring up their families, mostly on grass- 
hoppers, crickets, and other insects, which 
would do much damage to fruit and grain if 
not destroyed. In the North, then, the bobo- 
link is the farmer's friend, and only the few^ 
who kill for the love of killing would think of 
shooting the gay bird. The bobolinks know 
this very well. In the South, they keep as far 
as possible from men. In New England, they 
will perch on the garden fence, and sing as 
though certain of a friendly audience. 

For his singing alone, the bobolink should 
be welcome in the North. No other bird has 
such a song, or can even imitate it. The mock- 
ingbird may give correctly the notes of every 
other bird in the field or orchard, but it is said 



268 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

that lie stops singing entirely, when the bobo- 
link begins. In the spring the bobolink's song 
is like a bnrst of laughter, in which one can 
imagine all sorts of words, as Bryant does in 
our poem. You may perhaps hear him say, in 
the midst of his merriment: ''Be true to me, 
Clarsyj be true to me, Clarsy, Clarsy, Oh, kick 
your slipper, kick your slipper, Clarsy/' Or, 
as Wilson Flagg quotes him: 

Phew, phew, Wadolincon; see, see, Bobolincon, 
Down among the tickletops, hiding in the buttercups I 
I know the saucy chap; I see his shining cap 

Bobbing in the clover there — see, see, see I 

Bryant gives us good natural history in 
Robert of Lincoln, In the springtime, the male 
bird's feathers are black and white; the rest 
of the year, mottled brown or brindle. He is 
sho^\y and noisy, always singing and fluttering, 
trying to show off to his mate, and to every- 
body else. The female bird, modestly dressed 
in brown, sits quietly on her nest, hidden among 
the meadow grasses and pays little attention 
to her jolly husband. After the brood of young 
birds takes the place of the eggs, however, both 
Eobert and Mrs. Robert work their hardest to 
feed them. Robert has no time for singing, 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 269 

then. He loses his bright plumage, and be- 
comes, as Bryant says, ^'a humdrum crone." 
Off he flies from the North, and in the next 
spring, ^^when he can pipe that merry strain 
again," he returns. 

EGBERT OF LINCOLN^ 

TYPE: LYRIC 

Merrily swinging on brier and weed, 
Near to the nest of his little dame, 
Over the mountain-side or mead, 

Kobert of Lincoln is telling his name. 
Bob-o'dink, bob-o'dink, 
Spink, spank, spink; 
Snug and safe is this nest of ours. 
Hidden among the summer flowers. 
Chee, chee, chee. 

Robert of Lincoln is gayly dressed. 

Wearing a bright, black wedding-coat ; 
White are his shoulders, and white his crest. 
Hear him call in his merry note: 
Bob-o'-link, bob-o'-link, 
Spink, spank, s})ink ; 

* Musical setting hy William L. Glover, in l:^oi\(js of Happy 
Life. 



270 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

Look what a iiice, new coat is mine; 

Sure there w^as never a bird so fine. 

Chee^ chee, chee. 

Robert of Lincoln*s Quaker wife, 

Pretty and quiet, with plain brown wings, 
Passing at home a patient life, 

Broods in the grass while her husband sings ; 
Bob-o'-link, bob-o'-link, 
Spink, spank, spink; 
Brood, kind creature, you need not fear 
Thieves and robbers while I am here. 
Chee, chee, chee. 

Modest and shy as a nun is she; 

One weak chirp is her only note; 
Braggart, and prince of braggarts is he, 
Pouring boasts from his little throat, 
Bob-o'-link, bob-o'-link, 
Spink, spank, spink; 
Never was I afraid of man ; 
Catch me, cowardly knaves, if you can ! 
Chee, chee, chee. 

Six white eggs on a bed of hay, 

Flecked with purple, a pretty sight: 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 271 

There as the mother sits all day, 

Robert is singing with all his might, 

Bob-o'-link, bob-o'-link, 

Spink, spank, spink; 
Nice, good wife that never goes out, 
Keeping house while I frolic about. 

Chee, chee, chee. 

Soon as the little ones chip the shell. 

Six wide mouths are open for food ; 
Robert of Lincoln bestirs him well. 

Gathering seeds for the hungry brood: 
Bob-o'-link, bob-o'-link, 
Spink, spank, spink; 
This new life is likely to be 
Hard for a gay young fellow like me. 
Chee, chee, chee. 

Robert of Lincoln at length is made 

Sober with work, and silent with care, 
Off is his holiday garment laid, 
Half forgotten that merry air 
Bob-o'-link, bob-o'-link, 
Spink, spank, spink ; 
Nobody knows but my mate and I 
Where our nest and our nestlings lie. 
Ohee, chee, chee. 



272 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

Summer wanes; the children are grown; 

Fun and frolic no more he knows ; 
Robert of Lincoln's a hum-drum crone; 
Off he flies and we sing as he goes : 
Bob-o'-link, bob-o'-link, 
Spink, spank, spink; 
When you can pipe that merry old strain, 
Robert of Lincoln, come back again. 
Chee, chee, chee. 

— ^William Cullen Bryant. 

Mead — a meadow. 

Crest — comb or tuft on the head of the bird. 
Quaker wife — this refers to the brown plu- 
mage of the female. 

Braggart — a vain boaster. 

Crone — a wrinkled and withered old woman. 

THE SANDS OF DEE 

CHAKLES KINGSLEY 

Charles Kingsley, who wrote this song, de- 
scribes in one of his books, the mouth of the 
Eiver Dee, in the north of Wales, ^^a wild w^aste 
of tidal sands, with here and there a line of 
stake-nets fluttering in the wand — a grey shroud 
of rain sweeping up from the westward, 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 273 

through which low red cliffs glowed dimly in 
the rays of the setting sun — a train of horses 
and cattle splashing slowly tjj^rough shallow 
desolate pools and creeks, their wet, red, and 
black hides glittering on one long line of level 
light." 

He speaks of ^^wild stories of salmon-fishing 
and wild-fowl shooting at the mouth of the Dee 
— and then a tale of a girl, who, in bringing her 
father's cattle home across the sands, had been 
caught by a sudden flow of the tide, and found 
next day a corpse hanging among the stake-nets 
far below." 

And this sad story of the drowned girl joined 
itself in his mind to a wild, plaintive melody 
which haunted him and rang in his ears until 
it shaped itself into a song. 

THE SANDS OF DEE ^ 

From Alton Locke 
I 
^^O Mary, go and call the cattle home, 
And call the cattle home, 
And call the cattle home 

* Musical setting by Francis Boott, in Our Familiar SoJigs, 
Songs Every One Should Know, and Franklin Square Song 
Collection, No. 7. 



274 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

Across the sands of Dee'' ; 
The western wind was w41d and dank wi' foanij 
And all alone Avent she. 

II 

The Avestern tide crept up along the sand, 
And o'er and o'er the sand, 
And ronnd and ronnd the sand, 
As far as eye could see. 
The rolling mist came down and hid the land — 
And never home came she. 

Ill 

^^Oh, is it weed, or fish, or floating hair — 
A tress of golden hair, 
A drowned maiden's hair 
Above the nets at sea? 
Was never salmon yet that shone so fair 
Among the stakes on Dee." 

IV 

They rowed her in across the rolling foam, 
The cruel crawling foam. 
The cruel hungry foam. 
To her grave beside the sea : 
J3ut still the boatmen hear her call the cattle home 
Across the sands of Pee! 

^s^^Qharles Kingsley. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 275 

Dee — a river in Northwest England, famous 
for its salmon caught in the broad bay at the 
mouth of the river. It is a dangerous spot be- 
cause of the high tides and the treacherous sand 
bars. 

Dank — wet. 

Tress — a lock of hair. 

Fishermen are inclined to be superstitious. 
The natives of the northwest coast of England 
are accustomed to heavy fogs and wild storms. 
On such occasions they fancy the}^ hear the girl 
still calling the cows on the banks of the Dee. 
The poet has very vividly told the story in the 
four verses of the poem. The situation has been 
described so clearly, that the poem appeals to 
feeling and emotion rather than reason. 



THE INCHCAPE ROCK 

ROBERT SOUTHEY 

The Inchcape Rock or reef is about four liun- 
dred feet long and two hundred wide, and is 
about twelve feet under water at the ordinary 
height of spring tides. It is near one of tlie 
most frequented parts of the Scotcli (H)asl, and 
until a lighthouse Avas built 'ui)on it, was oiu^ o( 



276 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

the greatest dangers to be found in sailing the 
entire circuit of the British Isles. 

^^An old writer mentions a curious tradition 
which may be worth quoting. ^By east the Isle 
of May,' says he, ^twelve miles from all land in 
the German seas, lyes a great hidden rock, 
called Inchcape, very dangerous for navigators, 
because it is overflowed everie tide. It is re- 
ported, in old times, upon the saide rock there 
was a bell, fixed upon a tree or timber, which 
rang continually, being moved by the sea, giving 
notice to the saylers of the danger. This bell 
or clocke was put there and maintained by the 
Abbot of Aberbrothok, and being taken down 
by a sea pirate, a yeare thereafter he perished 
upon the same rocke, with ship and goodes, in 
the righteous judgment of God.' " 

Eemarl's on Scotland, Stoddard. 



THE IXCHCAPE KOCK 

TYPE: DRAMATIC LYRIC 

No stir in the air, no stir in the sea, 
The ship was still as she could be; 
Her sails from heaven received no motion; 
Her keel was steady in the ocean. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 277 

Without either sign or sound of their shock, 
The waves flowed over the Inchcape Rock ; 
So little they rose, so little they fell, 
They did not move the Inchcape Bell. 



The good old Abbot of Aberbrothok 
Had placed that Bell on the Inchcape Rock ; 
On a buoy in the storm it floated and swung. 
And o'er the waves its warning rung. 



When the Rock was hid by the surge's swell, 
The mariners heard the warning Bell^ 
And then they knew the perilous Rock, 
And blest the Abbot of Aberbrothok. 



The Sun in heaven was shining gay ; 

All things were joyous on that day; 

The sea-birds screamed as they wheeled round, 

And there was joyance in their sound. 



The buoy of the Inchcape Bell was seen, 
A darker speck on the ocean green ; 
Sir Ralph the Rover walked his dcn-k. 
And he flxed his eye on the dnrkor s]>(\'k. 



278 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

He felt the cheering power of spring; 
It made him whistle, it made him sing ; 
His heart was mirthful to excess, 
But the Rover's mirth was wickedness. 



His eye was on the Inchcape float ; 
Quoth he, ^^My men, put out the boat, 
And row me to the Inchcape Rock, 
And I'll plague the Abbot of Aberbrothok.'' 

The boat is lowered, the boatmen row, 

And to the Inchcape Rock they go; 

Sir Ralph bent over from the boat, 

And he cut the Bell from the Inchcape float. 

Down sunk the Bell with a gurgling sound ; 

The bubbles rose and burst around; 

Quoth Sir Ralph, ^^The next who comes to the Rock 

Won't bless the Abbot of Aberbrothok." 



Sir Ralph the Rover sailed away ; 
He scoured the seas for many a day ; 
And now, grown rich with plundered store. 
He steers his course for Scotland's shore. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 279 

So thick a haze o'erspreads the sky, 
They cannot see the Sun on high ; 
The wind hath blown a gale all day; 
At evening it hath died away. 



On the deck the Eover takes his stand ; 
So dark it is, they see no land. 
Qnoth Sir Ralph, ^^It will be lighter soon, 
For there is the dawn of the rising Moon.'' 



^^Canst hear/' said one, ^%e breakers roar ? 
For methinks we should be near the shore." 
"l^o\N where we are I cannot tell, 
But I wish I could hear the Inchcape Bell." 



They hear no sound ; the swell is strong ; 
Though the wind hath fallen, they drift along. 
Till the vessel strikes with a shivering shock: 
''O Christ! it is the Inchcape Rock!" 



Sir Ralph the Rover tore his hair, 
He cursed himself in his despair: 
Tlie waves rush in every side; 
The sliip is sinking b(Mu^alli llie tide. 



280 THE FEIEXJLY POETS [Part III 

But, even in his dvini^" fear. 
One dreadful sound could the Rover hear, — 
A sound as if, with the Inchcape Bell, 
The Devil below was ringing his knell. 

— Robert Southey. 

Buoy — a stationary float to guide navigation. 
Joyance — rejoicing. 

Scoured — to go over the sea carefully. Why 
did he do this? 



LOCHINVAR 

SIR WALTER SCOTT 

As a result of the efforts of her greatest 
author, Scotland has been made a land of ro- 
mance. Sir Walter Scott has pictured for us 
all the cb'valry and daring of his people. Their 
customs, songs, struggles and hopes furnish 
him with his centi'al theme. 

In Locliinvar Scott has given us one of the 
popular legends of Scotland. In the young 
Lochinvar Ave have the spirit of the rugged 
Scots, those sturdy Avarriors who never gave in 
without first putting: up a stiff resistance. 

Accompanied by her hnrp, a lady at the court 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 281 

of James IV of Scotland, sings this stirring 
ballad. 

LOCHTXVAE 

From Marmion 
SIR AVALTEK SCOTT 
TYPE: DRAMATIC LYRIC 

O, young Locliinvar i^ come out of the West, 
Through all the wide Border his steed was the best ; 
And save his good broadsword he weapons had none, 
He rode all unarmM, and he rode all alone. 
So faithful in love, and so dauntless in war, 
There never was knight like the voung Lochinvar. 

He stayed not for brake, and he stopped not for stoue. 
He swam the Eske River where ford there was none ; 
But ere he alighted at If etherby gate, 
The bride had consented, the gallant came late; 
For a laggard in love, and a dastard in war, 
Was to wed the fair Ellen of brave Lochinvar. 

So boldly he entered the Ts^etherby Hall, 

Among bride's-men, and kinsmen, and brotliers, and 

all; 
Then spoke the bride's father, his hand on his sword, 
(For the poor craven bridegroom said never a word,) 



282 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

'^O come ve in peace here, or come ye in war, 

Or to dance at onr bridal, young Lord Lochinvar ?" 

*^I long woo*d your daughter, my suit you denied; — 
Love swells like the Solway, but ebbs like its tide — 
And now am I come, with this lost love of mine, 
To lead but one measure, drink one cup of wine. 
There are maidens in Scotland, more lovely by far, 
That would gladly be bride to the young Lochinvar." 



The bride kiss'd the goblet: the knight took it up, 
He quaff'd off the wine, and he threw down the cup. 
She look'd dovm to blush, and she look VI up to sigh, 
With a smile on her lips, and a tear in her eye. 
He took her soft hand, ere her mother could bar, — 
^'Xow tread we a measure!" said young Lochinvar. 

So stately his form, and so lovely her face, 
That never a hall such a galliard did grace; 
While her mother did fret, and her father did fume, 
And the bridegroom stood dangling his bonnet and 

plume ; 
And the bride-maidens whisi)er'd, '' 'Twere better by 

far, 
To have matched our fair cousin with young Loch- 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 283 

One touch to her hand, and one word in her ear, 
When they reached the hall-door, and the charger 

stood near ; 
So light to the croupe the fair lady he swung, 
So light to the saddle before her he sprung ! 
^^She is won ! we are gone, over bank, bush, and 

scaur ; 
They'll have fleet steeds that follow,'' quoth young 

Lochinvar. 

There was mounting 'mong Graemes of the Netherby 

clan; 
Forsters, Fenwicks, and Musgraves, they rode and 

they ran; 
There was racing and chasing, on Cannobie Lee, 
But the lost bride of Netherby ne'er did they see. 
So daring in love, and so dauntless in war. 
Have ye e'er heard of gallant like young Lochinvar ? 

— Sir Walter Scott. 

Lochinvar — pronounced Loh-in-var. 

Border — The districts in England and Scot- 
land lying near the borderline. 

Brake — ground overgrown with lirakos and 
l)ush(^s. 

Eske — a river which empties into Solway 
Firth. 



284 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

Netherhy — Netlierby Castle, on the eastern 
bank of the Eske River, in Cumberland, Eng- 
land. 

The Sohvay — the Solway Firth, an arm of tlie 
Irish Sea, noted for its high tides, which make 
the width of the Firth vary from a mile and a 
half to twenty-two miles. 

Measure — a dance. 

GalUard — A lively, old-fashioned dance. 

Scaur — a steep, precipitous place. 

Cannohie Lee — the Cannobie meadoAvs near 
Netherby Castle. 

OLD FOLKS AT HOME 

STEPHEN COLLINS FOSTEE 

Down in southern Florida a little river called 
the Swanee flows into the Gulf of Mexico. How 
did Stephen Foster, the writer of over 200 pop- 
ular songs, happen to use this name in perhaps 
the most popular of all? 

Foster visited his brother one day in 1851. 
^^ Morrison," he said, ^^I have a new song, and 
I want the name of a Southern river in two 
syllables, to use in it." 

His brother suggested Yazoo and Pedee, but 
Foster ob3ect(^d to bo^h. Then Morrison took 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 285 

clown a map of the United States, and they 
looked it over. 

Presently Morrison pointed at a little river 
in Fk)rida. 

^^ That's it," cried Stephen. ^^ Listen/' and 
began to read, 

^^Way down upon de Swanee ribber, — Far, far 
away." — 

What if he had chosen Yazoo, or Pedee, for 
his Old Folks at Home? 

See Famous American Songs, Gustav Kobbe. 

OLD FOLKS AT HOME ^- 

TYPE: LYRIC (SONG) 

Way down upon de Swanee ribber, 

Far, far away, 
Dere's wha my heart is turning ebber, 

Dere's wha de old folks stay. 
All up and down the whole creation, 

Sadly I roam, 
Still louixiuo' for d(^ old plantation, 

And For d:- old folks rd heme. 

* Musical setting by Steplien Foslor, in Assemlly Songs, 
Book of a Tlwu.'and So'nc/s, Gddcn Book, Most Popular Home 
Songs, Most Popular Soiifjs of Pairioiisiu, Our Familiar Songs, 
Riverside ^ong Book, Sovgs tJic Cluldrrv f ore to Si)ig, JViUis 
Collection, No. fl. 



286 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

Chorus 

All de world am sad and dreary, 

Eberywhere I roam, 
Oh ! darkeySj how my heart grows weary, 

Far from de old folks at home. 

All round de little farm I wander' d, 

When I was young, 
Den many happy days I squandered. 

Many de songs I sung. 
When I was playing wid my br udder, 

Happy was I; 
Oh ! take me to my kind old mudder ! 

Dere let me live and die. Chorus, 

One little hut among de bushes, 

One dat I love. 
Still sadly to my mem'iy rushes, 

No matter where I rove. 
When will I see de bees a-humming 

All round de comb ? 
When will I hear the banjo tnmming, 

Down in my good old home ? Chorus, 
— Stephen Collins Foster. 

All slaveholders were not cruel, nor were all 
slaves unhappy. The loyalty of the black man 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 287 

for his master was frequently caused by the 
care and attention the kind master gave to his 
helpless servant. 

In this poem we have the love of the slave 
for the plantation, the only place where, as far 
as he was concerned, the whole world was to be 
found. Once taken from his kind master and 
his fellows the slave soon lost heart and life 
became a useless, meaningless existence. 

The love of the slave for the plantation is not 
an exaggeration. In many cases this regard for 
the South as ^^the home-land" is cherished by 
many negroes to-day. 

The poem should be presented and made 
familiar to every American school child as one 
of the greatest folk-songs of our counfry. 

LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT 

JOHN HENRY NEWMAN 

Cardinal Newman wrote this hymn while be- 
calmed for a week on an orange-boat in the 
Straits of Bonifacio, near the island of Corsica. 
He had been very ill in Sicil)^, and, though 
hardly able to travel, was on his way back to 
England. The poem was first published under 
the title, The Pillar of the Cloud with this text : 



288 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

*^In the daytime He led them with a pillar 
of cloud, and all the night through with a pillar 
of fire." 

LEAD, KIXDLY LIGHT ^ 

TYPE: LYEIC (HYMX) 

Lead, kindly Light amid tli' encircling gloom. 

Lead Thou me on ; 
The night is dark, and I am far from home ; 

Lead Thou me on ; 
Keep Thou my feet ; I do not ask to see 
Tlie distant scene; one step enough for me. 

I was not ever thus, nor pray'd that Thou 

Shouldst lead me on ; 
I loved to choose and see my path ; but now 

Lead Thou me on ! 
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears. 
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years. 

So long Thy Power hath blest me, sure it still 

Will lead me on. 
O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till 

The night is gone, 

* Musical setting by Rev. J. B. Dykes, in Academy Song 
Bool', Asscmhlxf Songs, Boole of a Thousand Songs, FranlJin 
Sqxiare Song Collcciion, No. 1; Golden Bool', Moft PopttUfr 
Home Songs, Willis Collection, No. 41. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 289 

And with the morn, those angel faces smile 
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile ! 
— John Henry NewjMant. 

Garish day — days of self-satisfaction, con- 
ceit, vanity. 

Moor and fen — waste land and marshes. 

In middle life. Cardinal Newman donbted 
very mncli the correctness of his own beliefs. 
After a long struggle he took a great step in his 
life by leaving' the Established Church of Eng- 
land and joining the Roman Catholic Cluirch. 
Tn this important decision he chose as his 
adviser God, who, for him, had been ^^ Kindly 
Light." 

THE LAST LEAF 

OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES 

Dr. Holmes says of this poem: ^'It was sug- 
gested by the sight of a figure well know^n to 
Bostonians (in 1831 or 1832), that of Major 
Thomas MelviUe, ^the last of the cocked hats/ 
as he was sometimes called. The Major had 
been a personable young man, viMy evidently, 
and retained evidcMice of it in 

The iiioniniHMitjiI ])()nip of aux\ — 



290 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

which had something imposing and something 
odd about it for youthful eyes like mine. He 
was often pointed at as one of the ^Indians' of 
the famous ^Boston Tea-Party' of 1774. His 
aspect among the crowds of a later generation 
reminded me of a withered leaf which has held 
to its stem through the storms of autumn and 
winter, and finds itself still clinging to its bough 
while the new growths of spring are bursting 
their buds and spreading their foliage all 
around it. I make this explanation for the 
benefit of those who have been puzzled by the 
lines, 

The last leaf upon the tree 
In the spring/' 

In 1894 Holmes wrote to his publishers, who 
were then issuing an illustrated and decorated 
edition of The Last Leaf, 

''1 have lasted long enough to serve as an 
illustration of my own poem. I am one of the 
very last of the leaves which still cling to the 
bough of life that budded in the spring of tlie 
nineteenth century. The days of my years are 
three-score and twenty, and I am almost half 
way up the steep incline which leads me toward 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 291 

the base of the new century so near to which I 
have already climbed. 

^'I am pleased to find that this poem, carry- 
ing with it the marks of having been written 
in the jocund morning of life, is still read and 
cared for. It was with a smile on my lips that 
I wrote it; I cannot read it without a sigh of 
tender remembrance." 

From Introduction to Cambridge Edition of Holmes 's Works, 
1895. 



THE LAST LEAF 

TYPE: DRAMATIC LYRIC 



I saw him once before, 
As he passed by the door, 



And again 



The pavement-stones rcsonnd 
s he totters o'ei 
With his cane. 



As he totters o'er the ground 



They say that in his prime, 
Ere the pruning-knife of Time 

Cut him down, 
Not a better man was fonnd 
By the Crier on his round 

Throuii.h \\w town. 



292 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

But now lie walks the streets. 
And he looks at all he meets 

Sad and wan. 
And he shakes his feeble head, 
That it seems as if he said, 

^^They are gone.'' 

The mossy marbles rest 

On the lips that he has prest 

In their bloom, 
And the names he loved to hear 
Have been carved for many a year 

On the tomb. 

My grandmamma has said- 
Poor old lady, she is dead 

Long ago — 
That he had a Roman nose, 
And his cheek was like a rose 

In the snow. 

But now his nose is thin, 
And it rests npon his chin 

Like a staff . 
And a crook is in his back, 
And a melancholy crack 

In his laugh. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 293 

I know it is a sin 
For me to sit and grin 

At him here, 
But the old three-cornered hat, 
And the breeches, and all that 

Are so qneer ! 

And if I shonld live to be 
The last leaf upon the tree 

In the spring, 
Let them smile, as I do now, 
At the old forsaken bongh 

Where I cling. 

— Oliver Wendell Holmes. 

Used hy permission of, and hy arrangement with, UougJiton 
Mifflin Company. 

Pritning knife of Time — a pruning knife is 
used to cut off diseased and useless branches, 
twigs, etc. Here, time is represented as slowly 
taking away from a man certain oi)portunities, 
activities, etc. 

Crier — in colonial times it was a custom for 
the authorities to appoint a crier in each si^ttle- 
mont. The crier announced all the important 
events and the commands or local laws whic^h 
th(^ p(H)pl(^ wor(^ to ol)ey. 



294 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part Hi 

Mos^y marbles — tombstones or slabs. 

Roman nose — like the beak of an eagle. 

Crook — curve, the old man is bent over with 
ag \ 

Three-eornered hat and breeches — costume of 
colonial days. 

THE BURIAL OF SIR JOHN MOORE 

CHAELES WOLFE 

In the year 1808, the Emperor Napoleon of 
France seized the kingdoms of Portugal and 
Spain. The Spanish patriots called upon Eng- 
land for help, which was promptly given. Thus 
•began the Peninsular War, which was, at first, 
disastrous to the English. Sir John Moore, 
commanding the English forces in Spain, was 
forced to retreat, in the dead of winter, through 
mountain passes, to the coast. Thousands of 
men fell by the way, and froze to death or died 
of exhaustion. Those who reached the shore, 
however, defeated the French in the battle of 
Corunna, January 16th, 1809, and were thus 
enabhni to embark safely for England, although 
with the loss of their leader. 

The officers of his staflF buried him at day- 
break in a hastily dug grave on a bastion of the 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 295 

citadel of Corunna. The troops were embark- 
ing during the night, and this being discovered 
by the French, they opened fire upon the ships. 
The brief funeral service was thus spoken under 
fire of the guns, and the grave was left entirely 
unmarked. Soon afterwards, however, a monu- 
ment was erected over it by Marshal Ney. Upon 
this tomb is the following inscription: 

JOHN MOORE 

LEADER OF THE ENGLISH ARMIES 

SLAIN IN BATTLE, 1809 

BUEIAL OF SIR JOHN MOORE 

TYPE: DRAMATIC LYRIC 

Not a drum was heard, not a funeral note, 
As his corse to the rampart we hurried ; 

Not a soldier discharged his farewell shot 
O'er the grave where our hero we buried. 

We buried him darkly at dead of night, 

The sods with our bayonets turning; 
By the struggling moonbeam's misty light, 

And the lantern dimly burning. 

No useless coffin enclosed his breast, 

Not in sheet or in shroud we wound him; 

But he lay like a warrior taking his rest. 
With liis martial clonk nromid him. 



29() THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part lit 

Few and short were the j^i^'^vers we said, 
And we spoke not a word of sorrow; 

But we steadfastly gazed on the face that was dead, 
And we bitterly thought of the morrow. 

We thought, as we hollowed his narrow bed. 
And smoothed dow^n his lonely pillow, 

That the foe and the stranger would tread o'er his 
head, 
And we far away on the billow ! 

Lightly they'll talk of the spirit that's gone. 
And o'er his cold ashes upbraid him, — 

But little he'll reck, if they let him sleep on 
In the grave where a Briton has laid him. 

But half of our heavy task was done 

When the clock struck the hour for retiring; 

And we heard the distant and random gun 
That the foe was sullenly firing. 

Slowly and sadly we laid him down, 

From the field of his fame fresh and gory; 

We carved not a line, and we raised not a stone. 
But we left him alone with his glory. 

— Charles Wolfe. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 297 

Corse — corpse. 

Martial cloak — military uniform. 
But half means ^'scarcely half" or ^^only 
half.'' . 

Gory — red or stained with his blood. 



FAREWELL TO ALL MY GREATNESS 

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE 

In the historical play, King Henry VIII, this 
is Cardinal Wolsey's soliloquy^ after he has lost 
the king's favor. The son of a bntcher, but 
possessed of amazing talent and energy, Wolsey 
rose to be Lord Chancellor of England, and one 
of the most powerful of all the Cardinals, even 
aspiring to the Papal throne. But at the very 
height of his glory. King Henry accidentally 
discovered an inventory of Wolsey 's wealth, 
and found it much too vast for a humble sul)- 
ject. Accused of falsehood and extortion, and 
of usurping the King's authority, Wolsey Avas 
immediately stripped of liis honors, his wi^altli 
and the King's affection. He died soon after- 
ward of a broken heart and disa])pointed ambi- 
tion. 

It is thought by many critics that tliis pas- 



298 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

sage was written by John Fletcher, who collabo- 
rated with Shakespeare in writing a number of 
plays, and, almost certainly, wrote several 
scenes of this. 



FAEEWELL TO ALL MY GEEATA^ESS 

TYPE: SOLILOQUY 

Farewell ! a long farewell to all my greatness ! 
This is the state of man : to-day he puts forth 
The tender leaves of hopes; to-morrow blossoms, 
And bears his blushing honors thick upon him; 
The third day comes a frost, a killing frost, 
And when he thinks, good, easy man, full surely 
His greatness is a-ripening, nips his root. 
And then he falls, as I do. I have ventured. 
Like little wanton boys that swim on bladders, 
This many summers in a sea of glory, 
But far beyond my depth : my high-blown pride 
At length broke under me, and now has left me, 
Weary and old with service, to the mercy 
Of a rude stream, that must for ever hide me. 
Vain pomp and glory of this world, I hate ye : 
I feel my heart new open'd. O how wretched 
Is that poor man that hangs on princes' favors ! 
There iS; betwixt that smile we would aspire to. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 299 

The sweet aspect of princes, and their ruin, 
More pangs and fears than wars or w^omen have: 
And when he falls, he falls like Lncifer, 
iSTever to hope again. 

— William Shakespeare. 

Subject of nips is frost. 

Lucifer — Satan. 

This soliloquy is meant especially for Crom- 
well, Wolsey's successor, who a short time later 
suffered the same fate as that of fallen Wol- 
sey. Evidently the advice given in these lines 
was not heeded. 

In a very striking manner Wolsey comments 
upon the folly of ambition and the ease with 
which a man's plans may be destroyed. Pride 
and ambition have caused Wolsey's dowmfall. 
The favor of a prince, the applause of the mob, 
the pomp and splendor of greatness, position 
and influence are great uncertainties. More 
commonly they lead to disaster rather than suc- 
cess. After you have been completely repudi- 
ated by the king and the mob, your downfall is 
as complete as was Lucifer's Avhen lie was 
hurled from the battlements of Heaven. 



300 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part ID 

PROSPICE 

EGBERT BROWXING 

Browning's wife, Elizabeth Barrett BroAvn- 
ing, died in 1861. It was the great grief and 
lasting sorrow of the poet's life. A year later, 
he wrote Prospice, one of the very few poems 
in which he expresses his own feelings or per- 
sonality. 

No two poets conld be more nnlike than 
Browning and Longfellow. But Longfellov/'s 
A Psahn of Life, written several years after the 
death of his own wife, shows that they were 
alike in one thing, at least, — the power to bear 
sorrow bravely, and even to snatch from it 
greater strength for troubles which might yet 
come. 



PROSPICE 



TYPE: DRAMATIC 



Fear death ? — to fool the fog m my throat, 

The mist in my face. 
When the snows h' gin, ami the blasts denote 

I am ncnring the place, 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 301 

The power of the nighty the press of the storm. 

The post of the foe; 
Where he stands, the Arch Fear in a visible form, 

Yet the strong man must go : 
For the journey is done and the summit attained, 

And the barriers fall. 
Though a battle's to fight ere the guerdon be gained, 

The reward of it all. 
I was ever a fighter, so — one fight more. 

The best and the last ! 
I would hate that death bandaged my eyes, and for- 
bore. 

And bade me creep past. 
No ! let me taste the whole of it, fare like my peers, 

The heroes of old. 
Bear the brunt, in a minute pay glad life's arrears 

Of pain, darkness and cold. 
For sudden the worse turns the best to the brave, 

The black minute's at end. 
And the elements' rage, the fiend-voices that rave, 

Shall dwindle, shall blend. 
Shall change, shall become first a peace out of i)ain. 

Then a light, then thv breast, 
O thou soul of my soul! T shall clasp tlun^ again. 

And with God be the rest ! 

— KouKirr r)KH)w\ 1 N(t. 



302 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

Prospice — look forward. 
The Arch Fear — Death. 

Guerdon — m\ honorable reward, reward for 
valor. 

Arrears — the full cost or price of life. 

Elements — the powers of nature. 

The last few lines refer to the poet's wife. 



CROSSING THE BAR 

ALFKED TENNYSON 

Tennyson's first verses w^ere written on a 
slate when he was only four or five years old. 
At the age of twelve, he composed an ^^epic 
poem'' of six thousand words. At eighty-three, 
he w^as still writing, the mind of the old man as 
clear and as full of fancy as that of the boy had 
been. 

His long life was filled wdth many alterna- 
tions of joy and sorrow. The death of friends, 
the loss of fortune, the failure of health, the ten- 
years ' delay of his marriage on account of pov- 
erty, gave him full understanding of human life 
and suffering. In 1850, Avhen he w^as nearly 
forty-one years old, he was married to Miss 
Emily Sellwood, of whom he said afterward ^ 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 303 

'^The peace of God came into my life before the 
altar, when I wedded her. ' ' With her, he passed 
many happy years in their beautiful home at 
Farringford, on the Isle of Wight. 

Tennyson was eighty-one years old when he 
wrote Crossing the Bar. He was returning 
home from the mainland with his son, across the 
strait that separates the Isle of Wight from the 
South Shore of England. It must have been at 
the turn of the tide, — that magic moment when 
the booming of the waves ceases, the moaning 
of the bar is stilled, and the heaving surface of 
the sea lies, for a brief interval, level and mir- 
ror-like as the glassy waters of an inland lake. 
Sunset, — evening star, — a distant bell — and in 
a moment those four lovely verses formed in the 
mind of the old poet, serene and confident, fac- 
ing death as he faced the sunset. 

This was really his farewell to the world, 
though he lived two years longer, until October, 
1892. A few days before his death, he charged 
his son to be sure to put Crossing the Bar at the 
end of every edition of his poems. This request 
has been faithfully obeyed. 



304 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

CEOSSIXG THE BAR * 

TYPE: LYRIC (SONG) 

Sunset and evening star, 

And one clear call for me ! 
And may there be no moaning of the bar. 

When I pnt out to sea, 

But such a tide as moving seems asleep, 

Too full for sound and foam, 
When that which drew from out the boundless deep 

Turns again home. 

Twilight and evening bell. 

And after that the dark! 
And may there be no sadness of farewell, 

\Vhen I embark ; 

For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place 

The flood may bear me far, 
I hope to see my Pilot face to face 

When I have crost the bar. 

— Alfred Texnyson. 

* Musical setting by Alice R. Fish, in Assembly Songs. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 305 

Bar — a bank, usually of sand, at the entrance 
to a harbor. 

Bourne — boundary, limits. 

Pilot— God. 

There is no doubt but that Tennyson consid- 
ered this poem to be the summary of all his 
philosophy of life, death and Grod. At a time 
when the religious beliefs of the leading nations 
of the civilized world were being shaken by the 
marvelous discoveries of science, it meant much 
to a great thinker to hold fast to his faith in a 
world of spirit. 

It is very interesting to note that Tennyson 
makes use of the sea to express this faith. 
Tennyson loved the sea, though for him it meant 
sorrow and uncertain voyages to far-off ports. 
The sea stood for power, — not only the fearful 
might of the ocean in a raging storm, but the 
steady silent power of the tide as it slowly drew 
away from the shore. 

MY HEART'S IN THE HIGHLANDS 

ROBEJrr BUKNS 

This is one of the many ohl Scotcli songs 
which Bu7'iis romad(^ for \ho Scots Musical 
Museum. WluMi a v(M'S(^ or a liiK^ of the original 



306 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

was poor, he wrote a better one ; if only a frag- 
ment of a song was known, he used that frag- 
ment to set the meter, and wrote what was 
needed to complete it. 

In every case, he fitted the new verses to the 
old so well that nobody can tell which is the 
work of Burns, unless Burns himself gives the 
clue. Of this song, he says: /^ The first half- 
stanza is old; the rest mine." 



MY HEAKT'S IN THE HIGHLAXDS 

TYPE: LYRIC 

My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here; 
My heart's in the Highlands a-chasing the deer; 
Chasing the wild deer, and following the roe, 
My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go. 
Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the North, 
The birth-place of valour, the country of worth; 
Wherever I wander, wherever I rove. 
The hills of the Highlands for ever I rove. 

Farewell to the mountains high cover'd with snow; 
Farewell to the straths and green valleys below; 
Farewell to the forests and wild-hanging woods; 
Farewell to the torrents and lond-ponring floods. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 307 

My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here ; 
My heart's in the Highlands, a-chasing the deer ; 
Chasing the wild deer, and following the roe, 
My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go. 

— Egbert Burns. 

Strath — open valley, generally a river course. 
Roe — a small deer. 

NATHAN HALE 

In September, 1776, after the retreat from 
Long Island, Washington needed exact infor- 
mation concerning the British army, and its for- 
tifications in and near New York. 
• Nathan Hale, of Coventry, Connecticut, — 
only twenty-one years old, but a graduate of 
Yale College, and a captain in the American 
army, volunteered to secure the needed infor- 
mation. Disguised as a schoolmaster, he en- 
tered the English lines by a roundabout way, 
noted the fortifications, learned much of the 
strength and plans of the British, and Avas on 
his way back to the American headquarters 
when he was recognized by a former acquaint- 
ance, an English sympathizer, and betrayed. 

He was taken prisoner, and, without trial, 
was hang(Hl as a spy on tlu^ roUowing (hiy. 



308 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

For over a hundred years, it was supposed 
that Hale was executed in the present City Hall 
Park, New York City, and the statue by Mac- 
Monnies in his honor Avas accordingly erected 
there. Within a very few years, however, some 
old documents of the English army came to 
light, in England, and among them was the 
order for the execution of Nathan Hale. This 
paper shows that the true place of his death was 
another little park, nearly three miles farther 
north, near the East River. 

Great buildings now cover the site of this 
park ; but on one of these, a bronze tablet bears 
this inscription : 

NEAR THIS SITE 

NATHAN HALE 

CAPTAIN IN THE CONTINENTAL ARMY 

WHO WAS APPREHENDED WITHIN THE 

BRITISH LINES 

WHILE SEEKING INFORMATION FOR 

WASHINGTON 

WAS EXECUTED 

22 SEPTEMBER 1776 

HIS LAST WORDS WERE 

''1 ONLY REGRET THAT I HAVE BUT ONE 

LIFE TO GIVE FOR 

MY COUNTRY ^^ 

Erected 1915 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 300 



NATHATs^ HALE 

TYPE: LYRIC 

To drum-beat and heart-beat, 
A soldier marches by: 

There is color in his cheek, 
There is courage in his eye: 

Yet to drum-beat and heart-beat, 
In a moment he must die. 

By star-light and moon-light, 
He seeks the Briton's camp; 

He hears the rustling flag. 

And the armed sentry's tramp ; 

And the star-light and moon-light 
His silent wanderings lamp. 

With slow tread and still tread 
He scans the tented line ; 

And he counts the battery guns 
By the gaunt and shadowy pine, 

And his slow tread and still tread 
Gives no warning sign. 



310 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

The dark wave, the plumed wave, — 

It meets his eager glance, 
And it sparkles 'neath the stars, 

Like the glimmer of a lance ; 
A dark w^ave, a plnmed wave 

On an emerald expanse. 

A sharp clang, a steel clang. 

And terror in the sound ! — 
For the sentry, falcon-eyed. 

In the camp a spy hath found! 
With a sharp clang, a steel clang. 

The patriot is bound. 

With calm brow, steady brow. 

He listens to his doom. 
In his look there is no fear, 

Nor a shadow-trace of gloom, 
But with calm brow, and steady brow 

He robes him for the tomb ; 

In the long night, the still night, 

He kneels upon the sod, 
And the brutal guards withhold 

E'en the solemn Word of God ! — - 
In the long niglit, the still night 

He walks where Christ hath trod. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 311 

'Neath the blue moriij the sunny morn, 

He dies upon the tree! 
And he mourns that he can lose 

But one life for Liberty: — 
And in the blue morn, the sunny morn, 

His spirit-wings are free. 

From Fame-leaf and Angel-leaf, 

From monument and urn. 
The sad of Earth, the glad of Heaven 

His tragic fate shall learn. 
And on Fame-leaf and Angel-leaf 

The name of HALE shall burn ! 

— Francis M. Fiitch. 

* Printed hy permission of Henry Holt and Company, puh- 
UsJiers of the poems of Francis Miles Finch, 

Emerald expanse, — the ocean. 

Word of God — the Bible, which w^as refused 
Hale. 

Urn — a receptacle shaped somewhat like a 
vase, resting on a foot or pedestal. In ancient 
times an urn frequently served the same pur- 
pose as a monument. The story of a hero was 
set forth upon it in pictures and chiseled 
characters. 



312 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

THE SEA 

BKYAX WALLEK PEOCTER (BAERY CORNWALL) 

Talking of the ocean with Barry Cornwall 
one day, he revealed this curious fact : although 
he is the author of one of the most striking and 
popular sea-songs in the language, The Sea, the 
Sea, the open Sea, he said he had rarely been 
upon the tossing element, having a great fear 
of being made ill by it. I think he told me that 
he had never dared to cross the Channel even, 
and so had never seen Paris. He said that, like 
many others, he delighted to gaze upon the 
waters from a safe place on land, but had a 
horror of living on it, even for a few hours. I 
recalled to his recollection his own lines: 

I'm on the Sea ! I'm on the Sea ! 
I am where I would ever be, — 

and he shook his head, and laughingly declared 
that I must have misquoted his words, or that 
Dibdin had Avritten the piece, and put Barry 
Cornwall's signature to it. 

From James T. Fields' Yesterdays xciili Authors. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 313 

THE SEA^ 

TYPE: LYRIC 

The Sea, the Sea, the open Sea ! 

The blue, the fresh, the ever free, 

Without a mark, without a bound. 

It runneth the earth's wide regions round. 

It plays with the clouds, it mocks the skies, 

Or like a cradled creature lies. 

I'm on the Sea ! I'm on the Sea ! 

I am where I would ever be. 

With the blue above and the blue below, 

And silence wheresoever I go. 

If a storm should come and awake the deep, 

What matter ! I shall ride and sleep. 

I love. Oh, how I love to ride 
On the fierce, foaming, bursting tide ! 
When every mad wave drowns the moon. 
Or whistles aloft his tempest tune. 
And tells how goeth the world below. 
And why the sou'west blast doth blow! 

* Musical setting by Sigisiiiond Neiikonini, in Familiar Songs 
and Frankliv Square Song Collection^ No. S. 



314 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

I never was on the dull, tame shore, 
But I loved the great sea more and more, 
And backward flew to her billowy breast, 
Like a bird that seeketh its mother's nest: 
And a mother she was, and is to me, 
For I was born on the open sea. 

The waves were white, and red the morn. 

In the noisy hour when I was born ; 

And the whale it whistled, the porpoise rolled, 

And the dolphins bared their backs of gold; 
And never was heard such an outcry wild 
As welcomed to life the Ocean child. 

I have lived, since then, in calm and strife. 
Full fifty summers a sailor's life. 
With wealth to spend, and a power to range, 
But never have sought or sighed for change: 
And Death, whenever he come to me. 
Shall come on the wide, unbounded sea. 

— Bryax Waller Procter. 

Bound — boundary or limit. 

Mad wave drowns the moon — during a furious 
storm the waters will shoot high up in the air, 
shutting off the sight of the moon. 

Dolphin — a large ocean fish. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 315 

Power to range — ability to travel from place 
to place. 

Barry CornwalPs poem, The Sea, was first 
brought to public notice by Henry Phillips, a 
well-known singer of seventy years ago. Of 
the poem and its musical setting, Mr. Phillips 
says, in his Recollections: 

Neukomm [a composer of music for popular songs] sent me 
a note saying he had composed a song for me — would I go to 
his apartments and hear it? I accordingly went: he sat down 
to his pianoforte, and played, and in his way, sang the song. 
I was unable to make any remark upon it; for I was any- 
thing but pleased; and I candidly confess I thought he had 
written it to insult me. I brought the manuscript home, and 
on singing it over, was strengthened in my former opinion. 
I felt, however, that I was bound to sing it ; I could not refuse 
his offer. So it was scored for the opera, and I was to 
introduce it at a grand morning concert, given by Nicholson 
at the Italian Opera Concert-Eoom [London]. I went, very 
downcast, and felt assured that I should be hissed out of the 
orchestra. The orchestra led off with the long symphony which 
precedes the air. In an instant, I heard the master-hand over 
the score; I felt suddenly inspired, sang it with all my energy, 
and gained a vociferous encore. The whole conversation of 
the day was the magnificent song I had just sung. 

MY OLD KENTUCKY HOME 

STEPHEN COLLINS FOSTEK 

Tlio Old Kontneky Tlomo was tlu^ roal home 
of Foster's i'(4aliv(% Joliii Ivowan, ,Iu(li>'(^ and 
U. S. Senator, of Bardslow ii, Kciiluckx . Ac- 



316 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

cording to the story, Foster and his sister were 
visiting the Rowan family. They were sitting 
on the veranda one beautiful summer morning. 
The sun shone bright; the happy children 
frolicked in the grass; the sound of laughter 
came from the field; a mocking-bird and a 
thrush sang near by. 

The whole scene is described by Foster in the 
song which he composed then and there, both 
w^ords and music. His sister watched him 
eagerly, and wlien he had written the first verse, 
she seized the paper from his hand, and sang it 
through, the birds trilling an accompaniment. 

See Favorite American Songs, Giistav Kobbe. 



MY OLD KEXTUCKY HOME ^ 

TYPE: LYRIC (FOLK-SONG) 

The sun shines bright in the old Kentucky home; 

'T is summer, the darkies are gay; 
The corn-top's ripe, and the meadow's in the bloom, 

Wliile the birds make music all the day. 

* Musical setting by Stephen Foster, in Assemhh/ Songs, 
Book of a Thousand Songs, Golden Book, Most Popular Home 
Songs, Most Popular Songs of Patriotism, Our Familiar Songs, 
Willis Collection, No. 41. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 317 

The young folks roll on the little cabin floor, 

All merry, all happy and bright; 
By'n-by, hard times comes a-knocking at the door ; — 

Then, my old Kentucky home, good night! 

Chorus. 

Weep no more, my lady, 

O, weep no more to-day! 
We will sing one song for the old Kentucky home, 

For the old Kentucky home, far away. 

They hunt no more for the 'possum and the coon, 

On the meadow, the hill, and the shore ; 
They sing no more by the glimmer of the moon. 

On the bench by the old cabin door. 
The day goes by like a shadow o'er the heart, 

With sorrow where all was delight; 
The time has come when the darkies have to part: — 

Then, my old Kentucky home, good night ! 

CiroRUs. 

The head must bow, and the back will have to bend. 

Wherever the darkey may go; 
A few more days, and the trouble all Avill end. 

In th(> field where the sugar-cnnes grow; 



318 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

A few more davs for to tote the wearv load, — 

Xo matter, 'twill never be light ; 
A few more days till we totter on the road ; — 

Then, my old Kentucky home, good night ! 

CnoErs. 
— Stephen Collins Fostek. 

Meadoic's in the bloom — refers probably to 
the cotton blossoms. 

^Possum and the coon — two animals, the op- 
possnm and the racoon, commonly hunted in the 
South. 

Tote — carry. 

Through the poem runs an air of sadness and 
sorrow. For the slave there can be little more 
than a life of toil and the weary load to be car- 
ried, ^Svherever the darkey may go." There is 
no future, no hoix* ; life is merely existing. 

The poem gives quite impressively the human 
side of slavery from the slaves ' point of \ieAv. 

BREATHES THERE THE MAN 

SIR WALTER SCOTT 

These lines are found in Scott's Lay of the 
Last Minstreh a weird tale of goblin and wizard, 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 319 

supposed to be sung by a wandering old Min- 
strel. 

The last of all the Bards was he, 
Who sung of Border chivalry: 
No longer courted and caressed, 
High placed in hall, a welcome guest, 
A wandering Harper, scorn' d and poor, 
He begged his bread from door to door. 

A kindly duchess whose roof has sheltered 
him against the storm, consents to hear him 
sing, in return for her hospitality. Astonished 
at the unexpected vigor and beauty of his per- 
formance, she asks him why he wanders in Scot- 
land, when the more wealthy Southern Land 
(England) ^Svould well requite his skilful 
hand. ' ' To the question the old Minstrel replies 
with these stirring lines, followed by another 
verse full of love for his native Scotland, ' ' Cale- 
donia stern and wild." 



BREATHES THERE THE MAN 

Breathes there the man, with soul so dead, 
Who never to himself hath said, 
This is my own, my native land ! 



320 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

Whose heart hath ne'er within him burn'd 
As home his footsteps he hath tnrn'd, 

From Avandering on a foreign strand ! 
If such there breathe, go, mark him well ; 
For him no Minstrel raptures swell ; 
High though his titles, proud his name, 
Boundless his wealth as wdsh can claim ; 
Despite those titles, power, and pelf. 
The wretch, concentred all in self, 
Living, shall forfeit fair renown, 
And doubly dying, shall go down 
To the vile dust, from whence he sprung, 
Unwept, unhonor'd, and unsung. 

— Sir Walter Scott. 

Strand — shore or country. 

Pelf — ill-gotten wealth. 

Doubly dying — why does he die twice? 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 321 

OPPORTUNITY 

EDWARD ROWLAND SILL 

Almost every one has said to himself now 
and then, ^^Ah, if I bnt had that man's wealth, 
or that other's learning, or so-and-so's width 
of experience or wealth of opportunity or en- 
dowment of ability, — ah, then what would I not 
do for the service of God and the blessing of 
men; what could I not have of joy and peace 
for myself; what could I not be to the world, 
to God, and myself? But with my narrow and 
meager life, with my small capacity, with my 
little opportunity, with my contracted environ- 
ment, with my one talent, what can be expected 
of me?" But it is the coward's excuse. For 
Avhatever we have not, we always have God and 
our own souls. However our lives may seem 
shut in outwardly on every side, they can always 
be open inwardly and upwardly. And the nar- 
rowness that confines our opportunity may \)^^^ 
intensify our personality, if we will have it ro. 

When Moses was called to his great task, \w 
pleaded as excuse his lack of equipment. And 
God asked him, '^What is that in thy hands?" 



322 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

(It was only a shepherd's crook.) ^^Take that, 
for with that thou shalt do wonders. ' ' So God 
says to you and to me, ^'Take what thou hast 
of means, of opportunity, of ability, and be and 
do what thou canst. ' ' And with Him we can do 
and be all that He means us to do and be. For 
it is men that count, and not things, in God's 
warfare. 

From A Valid Christianity for To-Day, Charles D. Williams. 
By permission of the author, Bishop Charles D. Williams. 



OPPORTUNITY 

TYPE: DIDACTIC 

This I beheld, or dreamed it in a dream: — 

There spread a cloud of dust along a plain, 

And underneath the cloud, or in it, raged 

A furious battle, and men yelled, and swords 

Shocked upon swords and shields. A prince's banner 

Wavered, then staggered backward, hemmed by foes. 

A craven hung along the battle's edge 

And thought, ^^Had I a sword of keener steel. 

That bine blade that the king's son bears, — but this 

Blunt thing." He snapt and flung it from his hand, 

And lowering crept away and left the field. 

Then came the king's son, wounded, sore-bestead 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 323 

And weaponless, and saw the broken sword, 
Hilt buried in the dry and trodden sand, 
And ran and snatched it, and w^ith battle-shout 
Lifted afresh, he hewed his enemy down, 
And saved a great cause that heroic day. 

— Edwaki) Rowlaxd Sill. 

Used by permission of, and by special arrangement with, 
Houghton Mifflin Company, the authorised publishers. 

Craven — coward. 

Blue blade — a sword made of the finest 
wrought steel. 



AULD LANG SYNE 

ROBERT BURNS 

This is one of the many old Scotch songs 
which Burns rewrote, and saved from being for- 
gotten. Before his time there w^ere several 
poems with this name, one at least dating back 
to 1660. Tw^o verses of the song as we know it, 
the second and the third, were entirely written 
by Burns. The other three w^ere taken from 
one of the old songs, but retouched by him. 



324 THE FRIENDLY POETS [Part III 

AULD LANG SYNE ^ 

TYPE: LYRIC 

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, 

And never brought to min' ? 
Should auld acquaintance be forgot, 

And days o' lang syne ? 

Chorus. 

For auld lang syne, my dear, 

For auld lang syne. 
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet, 

For auld lang syne. 

We twa hae run about the braes. 
And pu'd the gowans fine; 
But we've wander' d mony a weary foot 
Sin auld lang syne. Chorus. 

We twa hae paidl't i' the burn, 

From mornin' sun till dine; 

But seas between us braid hae roar'd 

Sin auld lang syne. Chorus. 

* Musical setting, Old Scotch Air, in Academy Song Book, 
Assembly Songs, Book of a Thousand Songs, The Golden Book, 
Most Fopnlar FLome Songs, Most Popular Songs of Patriotism, 
Our Familiar Songs, Songs the Children Love to Sing, Willis 
Collection, No. 41. 



Part III] THE FRIENDLY POETS 325 

And here's a hand, my trusty fiere, 

And gie's a hand o' thine; 
And we'll tak a right guid willie-wanght, 

For auld lang syne. Chorus, 

And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp, 

And surely I'll be mine; 
And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet 

For auld lang syne. Chorus, 

— Robert Burns. 

Auld lang syne — literally, old long since — 
long ago. 

Twa — two, or both of us. 

Braes — hillsides. 

Pu'd the goivans — pulled daisies. 

Sin — since. 

PaidVt V the hum — paddled in the brook. 

Dine — dinner-time. 

Braid — broad. 

Fiere — friend. 

Pint-stowp — a two-quart measure. 

Tak a guid willie-waught — take a friendly 
drink, a hearty draught. 



A MUSICAL NOTE 



SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES 



A MUSICAL NOTE 



Many of the poems contained in this book have 
been set to music. A number of musical collections, 
containing these poems with their settings and the 
names of the composers, are given below, the basis 
of selection being sometimes the number of wished- 
for songs found in a single volume; sometimes the 
fact that a particular song could be found only in 
one volume. Under the name of each collection is 
given the list of poems found therein. In the body 
of the book, under the name of each poem set to 
music, is given the name or names of the collections 
in which it may be found. 

ACADEMY SONG-BOOK, compiled by Charles H. Liver- 
more, pub. by Ginn & Co., Boston, 1898; contains: 
A Man's a Man for a' That. Anonymous. 
America. Henry Carey. 
Auld Lang Syne. Scotch Air. 
En Voyage. Anonymous. 
Farewell, A. Horatio C. King. 
Lead, Kindly Light. Rev. J. B. Dykes. 
Miller of the Dec. Anonymous. 
My Heart's in the Highlands. Old Scotch Air. 
O (^i]uml>ia, the Gem of the Ocean. Thomas A Bocket. 
Spacious Firmament, The. Arr. for the work. 
Star Spangled Banner, The. Anacreon in Heaven, 

329 



330 THE FRIENDLY POETS 

ASSEMBLY SOXGS, compiled by George 11. Gertlan, pub. 
by Hiuds, Harden »5c Eldredge, New York, 19i'0; coutaius: 
America. Henry Carey. 
Auld Lang Syne. Old Scotch Air. 
Blue and the Gray, The. Eoys Bridgman. 
Child *s Evening Hymn. Joseph Barnby. 
Crossing the Bar. Alice E. Fish. 
Lead, Lindly Light. Kev. J. B. Dykes. 
O Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean. Thomas A Beeket. 
Old Oaken Bucket, The. A. G. KiaUmark. 
Old Folks at Home. Stephen Foster. 
My Old TIentucky Home. Stephen Foster. 
Star-Spangled Banner, The. Anacrcon in Heaven. 

BOOK OF A THOrSAXD SONGS, edited by Albert Wier; 
pub. by World Syndicate Company, New York, 1918; contains: 
America. Henry Carey. 
Auld Lang Syne. Old Scotch Air. 
Break, Break, Break. W. E. Dempster. 
Child's Evening Hymn (Xovr the Day is Over). Joseph 

Barnby. 
Lead, Kindly Light. Eev. J. B. Dykes. 
My Heart's in the Highlands. Scotch Air. 
Miller of Dee, The. Anonymous. 
My Old Kentucky Home. Stephen Foster. 
Old Folks at Home. Stephen Foster. 
Old Oaken Bucket, The. A. G. Kiallmark. 
O Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean. Thomas A Beeket. 
Spacious Firmament on High, The. Joseph Haydn. 
Star-Span^led Banner, The. Anacrcon in Heaven. 
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Anonymous. 
"Woodman, Spare that Tree. Henry Eussell. 

CHILD'S SONG TREASURY, music composed by Mary B. 
Ehrman; pub. by W. H. Willis Co., 20 Adams St., Chicago; 
contains : 

All Things Bright and Beautiful. 

To a Child (A Farewell). 

The First Snowfall. 



A MUSICAL NOTE 331 

FIFTY SHAKESPEARE SONGS, edited by Charles \^in- 
cent; pub. by Oliver Ditson Co., Boston, 190G; contains: 

Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind. William A. Fisher. 
Under the Greenwood Tree. Carl Busch. 

FRANKLIN SQUARE SONG COLLECTION, American 
Book Company, New York; published in serial numbers; con- 
tains: 

America. Henry Carey, in No. 1. 

A Man's a Man for a' That. Scotch Air, in No. 6. 

Lead, Kindly Light. Rev. J. B. Dykes, in No. 1. 

Millei ot i-. e, The. Anonymous in No. 2. 

My Heart 's in the Highlands. Scotch Air, in No. 1. 

Old Oaken Bucket, The. A. G. Kiallmark, in No. 1. 

Old Oaken Bucket, The. Robert A. Smith, in No. 4. 

O Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean. Thomas A Becket. 
in No. 1. 

Sands of Dee, The. Francis Boott, in No. 7. 

Seven Times One. Anonymous, in No. 2. 

Sea, The. Sigismond Neukomm, in No. 8. 

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Anonymous, in No. 1. 

Woodman, Spare that Tree. Henry Russell, in Nos. 3 
and 6. 

GOLDEN BOOK OF FAVORITE SONGS (paper, 15c.), 
compiled by N. H. Aitch ; ed. by Hall & McCreary, Chicago, 
1915; contains: 

Auld Lang Syne. Scotch Air. 

Lead, Kindly Light. Rev. J. B. Dykes. 

Miller of Dee, The. Anonymous. 

Now the Day is Over (Child's Evening Hymn). Jose]>h 
Barnby. 

O Columbia, the G»m of the Ocean. Thomas A Becket. 

Old Oaken Bucket, The. A. G. Kiallmark. 

Old Folks at Home, The. Stephen Foster. 

Old Kentucky Home. Stephen Foster. 

Twiiikle, Twinkle, Little Star. Anonymous. 

Woodman, Spare that Tree. Henry Russell. 



332 THE FRIENDLY POETS 

MOST POPULAR HOME SOXGS; selected and arranged by 
Gilbert C. Noble; published by Hinds, Hayden & Eldredge, 
New York. 

America. Henry Carey. 

Auld Lang S^Tie. Scotch Air. 

Lead, Kindly Light. Rev. J. B. Dykes. 

My Old Kentucky Home. Stephen Foster. 

Now the Day is Over (Child's Evening Hymn). Joseph 
Barnby. 

O Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean. Thomas A Becket. 

Old Folks at Home, The. Stephen Foster. 

Old Oaken Bucket, The. A. G. Kiallmark. 

Star Spangled Banner, The. Anacreon in Heaven. 

MOST POPULAR SOXGS OF PATRIOTISM, published by 
Hinds, Hayden & Eldredge, New York. 

America. James J. McCabe (new setting). 

Auld Lang Syne. Scotch Air. 

Old Folks at Homo. Stephen Foster. 

Old Kentucky Home. Stephen Foster. 

Old Ironsides. William Lardner. 

Old Oaken Bucket, The. A. G. Kiallmark. 

O Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean. Thomas A Becket. 

Star Spangled Banner. Samuel Arnold. 

OUR FAMILIAR SONGS, edited by Helen K. Johnson; 
pub. by H. M. Caldwell Company, New York; contains: 
America. Henry Carey. 

Arrow and the Song, The. Michael \V. Balfe. 
Auld Lang Syne. Scotch Air. 
Break, Break, Break. William P. Dempster. 
Man's a Man for a' That, A. Scotch Air. 
My Heart's in the Highlands. Scotch Air. 
Old Folks at Home, The. Stephen Foster. 
My Old Kentucky Home. Stephen Foster. 
Old Oaken Bucket, The. A. G. Kiallmark. 
San<ls of Dee, The. Francis Boott. 
Sea, The. Sigismond Neukomm. 



A MUSICAL NOTE 333 

Star Spangled Banner, The. Samuel Arnold. 
Woodman, Spare that Tree. Henry Kussell. 
Ye Mariners of England. John W. Callcott. 

RIVERSIDE SONG BOOK, compiled by W. M. Lawrence 
and O. Blackman, pub. by Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass., 
1893; contains: 

America. Henry Carey. 

Columbus. German Air, 

Concord Hymn. Ludwig Von Beethoven. 

Dutch Lullaby, A. A. G. Kiallmark. 

O Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean, 'ihomas A Becket. 

O Captain, My Captain. C. M. Wyman. 

Old Ironsides. Andreas Rofer, a German air. 

Old Folks at Home. Stephen Foster. 

Old Oaken Bucket, The. Arahy 's Daughter, A. G. Kiall- 
mark. 

Star Spangled Banner. Samuel Arnold. 

Woodman, Spare that Tree. Johann A. Hiller. 

SONG ECHOES FROM CHILD LAND, coinpiled by Har- 
riet S. Jenks and Mabel Rust; pub. by Oliver Ditson Co., 
Boston, 1896; contains: 

Great, Wide Beautiful World. Cornelia Roeske. 

Spring. Edmund Sawyer. 

The Wind. F. D. Allen. 

SONGS AND GAMES FOR LITTLE ONES, by Gertrude 
Walker and Plarriet Jenks, pub. by Oliver Ditson Co., Boston, 
1887; contains: 

Spring. Hermann Strachauer. 

Thanksgiving Day. Margaret Bradford ^[orton. 

Tiny Little .Snow-Flakcs. Daniel Batchellor. 

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Gertrude Walker. 

SONGS OF HAPPY LIFE, compiled by Sarali J. VaUU, pub. 
by Silver, Burdett & Co., New York, Boston, Chicago, 1901; 
contains: 

Robert of Lincoln. William L. Clover. 



3*M THE FRIENDLY POETS 

SONGS FEOM THE PUBLISHED WRITINGS OF 
ALFRED TENNYSON, edited by W. G. Cusms, pub. by C. 
Kegan Paul &: Co., 1 Paternoster Sq., London; contains: 
Break, Break, Break. Georg Henschel. 
Bugle Song. Sir Herbert Oakeley. 

SONGS OF THE FLAG ANT) NATION, compiled and 
edited by Walter Howe Jones, pub. by Hinds, Hayden & Eld- 
redge. New York. 

America. Henry Carey. 

American Flag, The. Arthur F. M. Custance. 

Blue and the Gray, The. Roys Bridgman. 

Concord Hymn. Ludwig Yon Beethoven. 

O Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean. Thomas A Becket. 

Star Spangled Banner, The. Samuel Arnold. 

SONGS THE CHILDREN LOYE TO SING, compiled by 
Albert E. Wier, pub. by D. Appleton & Co., 1916; contains: 
America. Henry Carey. 
Auld Lang Syne. Scotch Air. 
Now the Day is Over (Child's Evening Hymn). Joseph 

Barnby. 
Old Oaken Bucket, The. Anonymous. 
Old Folks at Home. Stephen Foster. 
Star Spangled Banner, The. Samuel Arnold. 
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Anonymous. 
Woodman, Spare that Tree. Henry Russell. 

WILLIS COLLECTION OF SUPPLEMENTARY POEMS 
for Public Schools, 2c. per number, edited by Walter H. Aiken, 
copyright, 1901-1916, by Geo. B. Jennings Co., Cincinnati, 
Ohio; contains: 

America. Henry Carey, No. 41. 

Auld Lang Syne. Scotch Air, No. 41. 

How Doth the Little Busy Bee. Anonymous, No. 85. 

Lead, Kindly Light. Rev. J. B. Dykes, No. 41. 

O Captain, My Captain. Anonymous, in No. 99. 

Old Folks at Home. Stephen Foster, in No. 41. 

Old Kentucky Home. Stephen Foster, in No. 41. 



A MUSICAL NOTE 335 

Recessional. W. H. Aiken, in No. 159. 

Star Spangled Banner. Samuel Arnold, in No. 41. 

Wind, Ihe. W. H. Aiken, in No. 70. 

The Chambered Nautilus has 1 een set to music as a cantata 
for women's voices, by Mrs. H. H. A. Beach. It is published 
by Arthur P. Schmidt, 120 Boylston St., Boston, 1907. 



Pictures are perhaps even more valuable than music in help- 
ing to make poems live in a child's mind. Accompanying 
several of the poems are references to famous pictures or 
statues, prints of which would be of value in teaching the 
poems. 

These and other prints may be obtained from various sources, 
as, for instance: The Medici Society, 753 Boylston St., Boston, 
which publishes the Medici Prints of great paintings; Curtis 
ik Cameron, of Boston, Mass., who make the Copley prints of 
. w^ell-known pictures. The cost of these last is fifty cents each, 
or more. The Medici Prints are more expensive. 

Less expensive are the prints issued by the Mentor Asso- 
ciation, at 116 East 16th St., New York City, which publishes 
each week a magazine on a special subject, containing six 
prints, accompanied with informing articles, usually by well- 
known writers. The cost of each magazine is only 35 cents, 
the prints are of good size, and many of the weekly issues 
would be of great value to the teacher. Numbers which would 
be especially useful for this volume are: 

Mentor Number 2. Makers of American Poetry, including 
pictures of Bryant, Whitticr, Lowell, Holmes, Longfellow, and 
Whitman. 

Number 8. Pictures we Love to Live With, including 
Raphael's Sistiuc Madonna; Da Vinci's Last Supper; Botti- 
celli's Magnificat ; and Murillo's Immaculate Conception. 

Number 10. Scotland, Land of Song and Scenery, including 
pictures of Robert Burns' Cottage, Abbotsford (home of 
Walter Scott), Stirling Castle, and Ellen's Tsle. 

Number 13. America in Pictures; The Discoverers, inchul- 



336 THE FRIENDLY POETS 

ing pictures of Columbus before Ferdinand and Isabella, Land- 
ing of Columbus, Columbus ^s flagship, the Santa Maria; De 
Soto at the Mississippi; Balboa and the Pacific; Last A'oyage 
of Henry Hudson. 

Number 32. Historic Spots of America, including pictures 
of Jamestown Tower, Plymouth Eock, Ticonderoga, Indepen- 
dence Hall, the Alamo, Gettysburg. 

Number 42. Story of America in Pictures: The Eevolu- 
tion, including pictures of Battle of Lexington, Battle of 
Bunker Hill, Washington Crossing the Delaware, Signing of 
the Declaration, John Paul Jones on the Bon Homme Richard, 
the Birth of the Flag. 

Number 43. Famous English Poets, including pictures of 
Byron, Shelley, Keats, Tennyson, Wordsworth, Browning. 

Number 52. Abraham Lincoln, including pictures of the 
Birthplace, the Lawyer, the President, the Bust of Lincoln by 
Gutzon Borglum, the First Reading of the Emancipation Proc- 
lamation, and the Memorial. 

Number 53. George Washington, including Barley's picture 
of Washington Entering New York, November 25th, 1783; 
Rossiter and Mignon^s picture of Washington and Lafayette 
at Mount Vernon, two pictures by Gilbert Stuart, the Washing- 
ton Monument at Washington, and the Bust of Washington, by 
Houdon. 

Number 66. William Shakespeare, including pictures of his 
Birthplace, the room in which he was born, the Shakespeare 
Room, Anne Hathaway 's Cottage, the Avon, and Shakespeare's 
Grave. 

Number 111. American Poets of the Soil, inchiding pictures 
of Will Carleton, Joaquin Miller, Eugene Field, Edwin Mark- 
ham, James Whitcomb Riley. 

Number 145. The Story of Christmas, including prints of 
Correggio's The Night, Rubens' Adoration of the Mar/i, Iley's 
Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve in Alsace, Blashfield's Christ- 
mas Bells, and Gifford's Hauling in tJie Christmas Tree. 



METHOD OF PRESENTATION 



SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS 

It is very essential that each poem should be care- 
fully read and studied in advance by the teacher 
as a necessary step in preparation for the recitation. 
The teacher, after reading the poem carefully to 
secure proper expression, should carefully study the 
interpretation of the poem and its natural division 
into tliought units, the arrangement of the mental 
picture and images which she is to present to the 
pupils. She should also list the points for discus- 
sion — sucli as references, beauty of form or expres- 
sion, etc. Slie sliould also have at her command a 
knowledge of the author and his Avork. 

It is often desirable that the pupils make some 
advance preparation. A day or two in advance the 
theme of the poem can be introduced to the pupils 
by casual references and pictures, or by readings on 
a similar or related subject. Tn the case of oUKm* 
pupils, definite assignments as a part of advance 
preparation are valuable. These assignments may 

337 



338 THE FRIENDLY POETS 

include readings and references on the author and 
the poems. Pictures, stories or other suppk^mcntary 
data may be gathered by the pupils for use in reci- 
tation. 

In every case, the teacher should come to class 
fully prepared, witli all data available and with a 
clear idea as to just how the poem can be best pre- 
sented and read. This is by no means a simple task. 



The class room recitation 

1. Introduction. Aim — appreciation and under- 
standing. Read entire poem. This reading shall be 
brief, suggestive and not interpretative. This first 
step is not to be confined to teacher activity. In 
lower grades teacher should draw out the pupils to 
tell and discuss situations in their experience similar 
to those the poem suggests. In upper grades pupils 
may be questioned on material in connection with 
background, author, etc. 

2. Presenting the whole. Aim — determine central 
theme and discuss it. In lower grades read Avith care- 
ful expression the entire poem. If necessary, reread. 
Few comments here are necessary. In upper grades 
a pi'climinary study, possibly as a home assignment, 
is desirable. The pupil might A\a^ll read the poem 
through by himself; teacher may concern hei'self 
merely with a careful reading of the entire poem. 



METHOD OF PRESENTATION 339 

3. Study of the parts. In lower grades, present 
carefully the ideas as pictures to be observed or 
imagined. Make words familiar to child, better still 
a part of his usable vocabulary. Do not study lines, 
but groups of lines or pln^ases expressing an idea. 
In upper grades teacher and pupils are to analyze 
the poem together. Assigned reports may be given. 
A study of references, allusions, interpretations may 
be made. Study the arrangement of poem, note 
beauty. Develop discussion of these points, noting 
personal preferences; compare with similar poems, 
learn what is liked and disliked. 

4. The new whole, the logical memorizing stage. 
Reread to younger children, emphasizing series and 
order of ideas and pictures. Also in upper grades, 
determine what pupils have gathered by previous 
discussion. The following aids to memorization are 
suggested : 

Develop poem as series of mental pictures and 
ideas, rather than lines of words. 

Use an outline. This gives vividly the thought 
connection. In lower grades, ^^key words," 
often the first word of eacli line, arc a help. 

If poem has been set to music, take advantag^o 
of song. 

Kei'cading several tim(^s is es])ecially helpful 
to little children. 

5. To supph^ment the gcMUM'al suggestions here 
given, various special suggestions are given below 



340 THE FRIENDLY POETS 

for many of the individual poems, the material for 
The Star Spangled Banner being especially full. 

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Tliis poem lias been 
set to music : hence can be classed as a lyric. 
As a poem for memorization, little need be done 
by way of preparation. The poem should be dis- 
cussed and thoroughly explained to the child. As 
an advance assignment just before introducing the 
poem, liave pupils observe stars and heavens. In 
the course of this work, attention might be focused 
about the following questions : 

Stanza 1. The sun and moon shine, and so do 
the stars, but there is a difference in the Avay 
they seem to shine. How have you seen the 
stars shine? Up there so high they shine like 
diamonds. How do diamonds sliine? ' 

Stanza 2. "What gives light by day? Have 
you ever looked at it? Why does it ''blaze"? 
Can you see stars twinkling when tlie sun is 
shining? Why not? AVhen do stars shine? 

Stanza 3. AVliy are the stars so bright in the 
''dark blue sky"? Do the stars shine every 
night? Have you seen the stars sliining when 
the sun is- up? Why do stars shut their eyes 
when the sun is in the sky? 

Stanza 4. On dark nights, the moon does not 
shine. How do the little stars help? AVhat can 
little stars do for people who must travel at 



METHOD OF PRESENTATION 341 

night? Do you know what the stars are? Does 
it make any difference? Why do yon want the 
little stars to twinkle? 

The Wind. 

Approach to this poem can best be made by means 
of a discussion with children centering about ques- 
tions as follows: 

What have you seen the wind do? 
Does the wind always do harmful things? 
Where is the wind? 
What do you think the wind is? 
Can you see it? Can you hear it? 
Does it push or call? 

What kind of songs have you heard the wind 
sing? 

Is the wind always cold and strong? 
What makes the wind appear to be a beast or 
a stronger child? 
Aim to have children read the poem and visualize 
each verse. 

Oral repetition in unison, then by individuals will 
soon secure memorization. Aim for careful expi'es- 
sion so that children will clearly picture to others 
the thought of the poem. 

Tiny Little Snow-Flakes. 

After reading poem, first aim to have pupils recall 
the falling of the snow in winter. If necessary have 



342 THE FRIENDLY POETS 

individuals volunteer to give their experiences. Add 
some of your own personal ideas so that the mental 
picture is real and clear. 

Follow this by a discussion centered about ques- 
tions such as: 

Where does the snow come from? 
Have the snow-flakes made you think of 
angels? Why? 

Have you noticed the snow falling on the 
walks (wooden, stone, grass) ? 

What does the snow do to the trees? 

Have you thought of snow-flakes as cunning? 

AVhy are they like busy little bees? 

Spring. 

Introduce this poem by a discussion of the sea- 
sons, — tlieir characteristics, etc., as: 

Summer — hot days, vacation, trips in country, 
berrying, fishing. 

Autumn — the harvest, cool days and nights, 
dying things in nature, departure of birds, etc. 

Winter — cold, severe weatlier, — snow and 
storms, long evenings, skating, sliding down hill. 
Spring — warm, longer days, chance to get out 
again, tlie coming of birds, flowers, plants, etc. 
Discuss the signs of the approacli of spring. 
Read the entire poem, showing how beautifully it 
describes what we have just said al)out spring. 
Center discussion al)out sucli questions as: 



METHOD OF PRESENTATION 343 

What is tlie alder? (If possible, have some in 
room; also, pussy willows and early flowers.) 

What message does the pussy willow bring? 

Why does the song of the bird sound sweeter 
in the spring? 

What makes the children so happy? 

Have you watched the green grass come 
creeping? 

How many think the frog makes soft, sweet 
music ? 

What is columbine? 

What else has scarlet color? 

AVhen do the daisies come? 

Are there any other flowers beside dandelions 
that seem to shine? 

Can you name other flowers that come with 
violet and clover? 

Note: This poem fairly breathes joy and happiness. Make 
the children appreciate this, and express this feeling when 
reciting the poem. 

Singing. 

This little lyric seems to bring a two-fold message. 

1. People, all the world over, are singing. It 
is natural for man to sing; all men, regardless 
of tlieir station and lot, feel and employ tlie 
medium of song. 

2. l\H)pk^ always sing of those things that are 
lu^xt 1() their lu^arts and in their minds: the bird 



344 THE FRIENDLY POETS 

sings of the little birdies who are soon to come; 
the sailor sings of ships and the seas. 
These two ideas should be made known to the 
children, so that the poem has a meaning and mes- 
sage. 

As a device to stimulate interest and observation 
in introducing the story or as an advance assign- 
ment, have pupils notice what kind of songs different 
people sing and, if possible, why they select these. 

A Dutch Lullaby. 

Xo doubt. Field intended that children should 
have the poem read, or possibly sung to them just 
before going to sleep, as this is a cradle song or 
lullaby. 

This poem is first met in the reading class where 
it is introduced as a literary gem should be. It 
should be read through as a complete poem. Pos- 
sibly tAvo readings will make it more interesting. 
Then by questions referring to the poem a discus- 
sion is introduced somewhat as follows: 

One night, — and it must have been at twilight, — 
the two little eyes and head of a little boy went off 
on a voyage. The voyage was taken in a little cradle 
])ed. With the moon shining down upon them 
through the window, they started on their voyage 
in the land of dreams and shadows, that land wliich 
all children enter just as sleep is coming to overtake 
them. 



METHOD OF PRESENTATION 345 

This was to be a fishing trip, and since this is a 
Dutch tale, it is natural to think that the little fisher- 
men were going to catch the herring fish. And these 
beautiful, little, silvery fish were the stars in tlie sky. 

All night long they fished, but it seems they did 
not catch many fish. At least they had a beautiful 
sail, which lasted throughout the niglit. The sights 
they saw w^ere so beautiful that they felt at times 
that they were dreaming, but it w^as all real. 

And the best part of it all is this, that any little 
boy or girl can take that trip every night, if they 
will only tumble in their boat, — the cradle, — and sail 
off in the slumber sea of dreamland. 

America. 

It is not necessary or wise tliat this poem be dis- 
sected for little children. The spirit and the chief 
lesson of the lines can be easily introduced and ex- 
plained. It would not be amiss in discussing this 
poem to emphasize the following: 

That America is a land of liberty. 
That we should be proud of this land of free- 
dom and love it. 

That America will be a free country and Avill 
prosper as long as Ave put our faitli and trust in 
Ood, our protector. 

The Barefoot Boy. 

It is I'econimended that this ])0(Mn be iiit inxhiced 
by the teaclier giving a very interesting' account of 



346 THE FRIENDLY POETS 

the life of the boy, AYliittier, wlieii he ^Svas once a 
barefoot boy/' Emphasize the pleasures and ac- 
tivities of the barefoot farmer boy. Follow this by 
reading the verse to the children. Follow this by a 
discussion centering about such thoughts as: 

What makes the cheeks of tan? 

Do boys wear turned-up pantaloons now? 

Why does the barefoot boy whistle merry 
tunes? 

AVhy are his lips so red? 

What does AVhittier think of tlie barefoot 
boy? 

Of what does the boy make him think? 

All pupils should be able to read tlie poem. 

There is no reason why this poem should present 
any difficulty in memorization. Read other passages 
to the children. 

Thanksgiving Day. 

Introduce poem by discussion of Thanksgiving, 
reviewing the events of the first Thanksgiving, etc. 
Discuss the present value of Thanksgiving Day, its 
meaning to grown-up folks and wliat it usually holds 
for children. In all probability, children Avill think 
of the fine time and good things they have then. 
Enlarge upon this. 

Read the entire poem, then arouse discussion by 
questions as: 



METHOD OF PRESENTATION 347 

"Why do you think they're going to grand- 
father's? 

How does it happen the horse does not lose 
the way? 

What sort of a day is it? 

How do you think the little folks in the sleigh 
feel? 

Are they low-spirited because they are cold? 

Why are they urging on the horse? 

He is traveling along at a fair pace ; why does 
he seem to go ^^ extremely slow''? 

What kind of fun do you have on Thanks- 
giving? 
Emphasize the good cheer and joy that Thanksgiv- 
ing holds for children, at the same time telling why 
we should feel so happy. 

Daisies. 

This is a little imaginative gem portraying child 
fancies. Picture the young child of the poem lying 
in his little bed gazing up dreamily at the stars which 
appear as the daisies of the sky; then upon waking 
to find the meadows white with what might be tlie 
daisies of the sky picked by Lady Moon and dropped 
by her to tlie fields below. 

Provoke discussion by such questions as: 

What is tlie cliild doing? 

What docs h(^ see? 

And why has the moon come? 



348 THE FRIENDLY POETS 

Where are tlie stars in the morning? 
Wliat does the child find in the meadow just 
beloAv? 

A Child's Prayer. 

This little gem is a great favorite and can teach 
a great moral lesson. Arouse interest and imagina- 
tion by discussion centering about the following 
thoughts : 

Of what good to people are the song of the 
bird in the tree top, or the blossoming of the 
tiny flower in the woods, or the dim light on the 
dark night? AVhat services can each render? 

Tell a story illustrating each situation, as — 
the ocean liner saved by the light in the light- 
house; the song of the bird that gave courage 
to the outlawed prince in the prison tower, etc. 
Emphasize tlie moral of the story by several ex- 
amples; sliow that by offering to help others a little 
child can render good services. 

Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind. 

Have you ever been stung or bitten? 
Do you remember the pain : 
Has a friend ever been unkind or hurt your 
feelings? 

How did you feel? 

Which pain did you remember longer? 

Can you think now of some unkind act you 



METHOD OF PRESENTATION 349 

may hrave done to some dear friend or a 
parent ? 

Do you understand now liow^ they must have 
felt? 

The Four Winds. 

By way of presentation the teacher should interest 
the pupils in the general topic — ^'Thc winds/' what 
they are, their value, what good, also what harm 
you have known the wdnds to do. Have a fcAv simple 
stories told about such topics as: '^How tlie wind 
piled up the snow banks on the trolleys ;'' '^a Avind 
storm in the desert;'' ^Svhat the wind do(S with the 
little seeds, ' ' etc. 

Under the Greenwood Tree. 

Discuss with pupils tlie fun and benefits derived 
by living in the open. l>y dividing the poem into 
two parts (the first and last four lines) memorization 
of this lyric should offer little difficulty. 

Don't Give Up. 

Approach the poem tlu^ough the medium of the 
story. Cite additional instances wliich will illustrate 
the thought of the poem. Draw upon the experiences 
and observations of the pupils. Coi'relate Avith in- 
formation previously gaincnl in s( hool, such as the 
story of Bruce and the spider. The poem will 
achieve its purpose if its teacliings can be made to 
apply in the class room \\'()i*k. 



350 THE FRIENDLY POETS 

En Voyage. 

Would a strong East wind help a sailing ves- 
sel cruising from America to France? 

Can you think of any vessel it might help at 
that time? 

Why is it that travelers seldom worry now 
about the direction of the wind when they plan 
a long trip? 

Old Ironsides. 

By readings and explanations the teachers should 
stir the spark of patriotism in the heart of every 
child. She must teach the lesson that the time- 
honored relics of a nation must be preserved as 
sacred. The child must be made to feel the shame 
and disgrace of destroying such sacred things. Also 
the teacher must make the child appreciate the great 
service Holmes did by his poem. 

What do you think should be done with 
old war-flags? 

Should every old war-vessel be kept by the 
Government ? 

Write a short account of the career of Old 
Ironsides. 

Name five famous American warships that 
have been prominent in our history. 

October's Bright Blue Weather. Type: A descrip- 
tive nature poem full of beautiful pictures and 



METHOD OF PRESENTATION 351 

striking passages; almost a rhapsody. This 
poem, probably written in Colorado, is an ex- 
pression of that intense feeling for the moods 
of nature which characterized Helen Hunt 
Jackson. 

Summer is passing with the death of the 
flowers and the hunt of the bees for winter 
food; autumn is coming with the fragrance of 
the grapes, the frost-nips on the gentians and 
the dropping of the chestnuts from their burrs. 
Autumn is the time when the many-colored 
leaves, the rich red apples, and the still redder 
woodbine, and the brooks laden with countless 
yellow, brown, and golden leaves show us nature 
in her gayest apparel. 

Then, too, autumn is dear to us, because it 
gives us the last of the beautiful days out of 
doors. Soon comes the winter with the snow, 
ice, sleet and a barren, cheerless landscape. 
Thoughts of the long winter nights make us 
begrudge the passing of this season, and so Ave 
wander in field and wood to enjoy every 
precious moment of the best of the year. 

Read her poem September and Alice Gary's poem 
November. Compare them. 

Note: As an advance assio-nmcnt have pupils list the advan- 
tages and bounties of June and October, noting especially tho 
things they have observed during the fall. 



352 THE FRIENDLY POETS 

Which season do you like the best? AVhy? 
Has this poem made you appreciate the au- 
tumn any more than you did? 

Woodman, Spare that Tree. 

In studying this poem, discuss the following with 
the children: 

The value of our trees to the nation, how 
rapidly they are disappearing, Avhy Ave must take 
active steps to save the forests, the relation of 
the poem to Arbor Day. 

The Children's Hour. 

Longfellow gave the twilight hour of the day to 
the children. It was a story hour. One day he heard 
the children leaving their room above to come down. 
From his study he could see them coming down the 
stairs. 

Then the children thought of a prank they might 
play. With a sudden rush through the doors they 
swooped down upon him; swarming over his chair 
they held him a prisoner with their hugs and their 
kisses. 

Yet Longfellow says they, not he, are the prisoners. 
He has them sealed up in the dungeon of his heart, 
and there he Avill keep them until its walls have 
crumbled to death. 

He is a prisoner in their arms; they prisoners of 
his love. 



METHOD OF PRESENTATION 353 

Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean. 

It seems best that this poem be treated the same 
way as America is presented to the children, bring- 
ing out the following truths : 

The U. S. A. is the home of the patriot who 
loves freedom and liberty. 

The U. S. A. believes in liberty, and when she 
has entered the field to fight in freedom's cause^ 
the rest of the world has been made to respect 
and fear her. Illustrate by reference to War 
with Spain and the World War. 

In Liberty's name the Army and Navy have 
saved the world in dark times. As long as that 
Army and Navy remain firm and loyal, America 
and Liberty are certain of living on. 

N. B. — Enunciation: We are not speaking of the *'jam of 
the ocean " or ' ' three chairs for the red, white and blue. ' ' 

The First Snow-fall. 

To enjoy this poem thoroughly the pupil must have 
a clear mental picture of a snowfall. The teacher 
may refer to some well remembered snow storm 
experienced by all the pupils. To arouse interest, 
discussion may center about the following tliouglits: 

When did the storm begin? 

Did it come down in a squall? Did it l)ei>in 
gently and silently? Did it snow hai'd iVoiu the 
very beginning? 



354 THE FRIENDLY POETS 

As you watched the snow fall, how were the 
objects changed — the trees, the old wooden 
fence, the mail box, etc. 

How did the birds accept the snow-fall? 
How did the landscape look after the snow 
had ceased falling? 

Have you ever wondered what caused tlie 
snow-fall ? 
In presenting the poem, aim to have pupils see how 
artistically, and yet how^ faithfully, the poet has de- 
scribed the snow-fall. 

Incident of the French Camp. 

What impression of Xapoleon do you get from 
this poem? 

Is Napoleon's chief thought the boy or the 
importance of the battle? 

Is the boy's main concern his message to his 
chief or his own condition? 

Does the poem give a true picture of Napo- 
leon and the spirit of the French Army? 

Sheridan's Ride. 

In reading and presenting to the pupils make 
special note of the force of the poem, particularly of 
the descriptive passages as: 

**The roar (of battle) of that red sea uncon- 
trolled;" 

*'The dust, like the smoke from the cannon's 
mouth;" 



METHOD OF PRESENTATION 355 

*'The road, like an arrowy Alpine river 
flowed;'' 

'^The landscape, like an ocean flying before 
the wind;'' 

*^The steed, like a bark fed with furnace ire," 
etc. 
As a poem to be recited, this poem has many pos- 
sibilities and has been a favorite of the public speak- 
ing platform. If the poem is to be recited at all, 
care should be taken that it be done well. 

Read How They Brought the Good News, by Brown- 
ing, or Longfellow's Paul Revere's Ride. Compare 
poems. Have pupils study a picture of the equestrian 
statue of Sheridan, or Thulstrup's picture, Sheridan^ s 
Ride. 

Bugle Song. 

If in tlic line ''our echoes roll from soul to soul" 
we substitute the word ''influence" for "echoes," it 
is very evident that the stanza bears a moral. The 
poem contrasts the mountain echo and the personal 
echo. The echo of the bugle grows faintei* and 
fainter until it disappears completely. This is not 
true of personal influence — this gi'OAvs stronger as it 
rolls on, in fact it frequently lives after we have 
perished. 

In reading, the pupils should note the music of the 
poem, and try to express the dying echoes. 

Cf. poem with Moore's Echoes and Longfellow 'p 
Arrow and the Song. 



356 THE FRIENDLY POETS 

How Doth the Little Busy Bee. 

The vocabulary should offer no diffieulty. 

Ai3proaeli poem by mterestmg discussion of the 
way the bee gathers and stores honey. Aim to have 
pupils appreciate tAvo things: 

1. The skill of the author in describing the 
work of tlie bee. The poem Avas evidently 
written by a keen observer. 

2. The moral of the poem. 

A Mother Thought. 

By way of introduction liave discussion on the 
topic '' Woman's Share in War.'' With the aid of 
readings and stories illustrate this for the children. 

The Blue and the Gray. 

Every pupil should be able to recite this poem, 
and in presenting it to the pupils, the teacher should 
aim to express the sincerity of the emotions of love, 
respect, charity and appreciation, so beautifully 
given by the poet. 

The Old Oaken Bucket. 

The poem is an interesting example of our ten- 
dency to forget and make liglit of the inconveniences 
and hardships of our youth, tending to remember 
them as pleasures and privileges. 
Introduction : 

1. Make every effort to secure a picture of an old 
well with its sweep and bucket attached. 



METHOD OF PRESENTATION 357 

2. In many communities the same inconvenient, 
unsanitary means of water supply is still used. 
Refer to them. 

3. Where 1 and 2 are not possible, introduce 
through discussion of means of water supply now in 
use, and contrast with those of early days. 

After the study of words and allusions has 
cleared up all possible difficulties the teacher, fol- 
lowing an appropriate introduction as suggested 
above, should read the poem to the children with 
fullest possible expression, striving to cause the pic- 
tures which the poem contains to grow and live in 
the children's minds. Read the poem several times 
if the class enjoyment justifies it. 

The Three Bells. 

A vivid picture of a rescue at sea. 

By way of introduction : 

1. Get pictures of storms at sea, mastless sliips, 
drifting before storm. 

2. Recall historic wrecks and rescues at sea, 
emphasizing the much more desperate plight of dis- 
abled vessels before the days of tlie wireless and 
steam, when only the rocket and signal gun might 
be used to call for help. 

Presentation : 

1. Clear up possible vocabulary difficMilties before 
presenting. 



358 THE FRIENDLY POETS 

2. Read poem to elass with expression. 

3. Take up poem by stanzas, reading it, getting 
out the theme, the pictures, the bits that are most 
enjoyed; then reading again by the teacher, followed 
by reading by several children endeavoring to bring 
out all of the meaning and pictures. 

The Violet. 

In presenting this poem, the teacher should make 
a conscious effort to shoAV how faithfully the poet 
has pictured the flower. The violet should be care- 
fully observed by the pupils so that the poem will 
be appreciated. 

Ode to a Skylark. This is an ode or hymn ad- 
dressed to the skylark — a lyric. 
Memorization: As the poem is so long, it is not 
desirable that all of it should be committed to mem- 
ory. It is suggested that the first four, the tenth, 
the nineteenth and the twenty-first verses be memo- 
rized. 

By what names does Shelley address the sky- 
lark? List the comparisons he makes. 

What lines of the poem give us a hint of the 
personal feeling of the poet while writing the 
poem? 

How does the singing of birds affect you? 
What is your favorite bird song? 

Pick out all the adjectives that describe the 
sono^ of the lark. 



METHOD OF PRESENTATION 359 

What can the bird^s song teach us? 

Is the song of the lark always the same ? Do 
birds always utter the same calls or songs? 
What is your idea of ** unpremeditated sing- 
ing''? How can we best appreciate happiness 
and joy in life ? 

Secure a copy of Breton's Song of the 
Lark. Discuss this from the viewpoint of the 
peasant girl. How can you compare the picture 
with the poem? 

The Star Spangled Banner. 

This poem will be developed for the teacher so 
that she may have an idea how poems may be pre- 
sented to a class by assigning in advance work which 
pupils are to do outside of school as preparation. 
1. Assignment and preparation: 

Two days in advance; take time from reading 
lesson to announce that class is to study tlie 
poem The Star Spangled Banner, Spend a few 
moments in appealing to patriotism, discussing 
why we should feel a need and obligation to 
learn of the circumstances in connection with 
writing the poem and its meaning for us. 
Display the picture The Inspiration, where cliil- 
dren may study it for tlie next two days. 
Assign topics as follows: 

1. Life of Francis Scott Key. 

2. Tlie attack on Fort Mcllenry. 



360 THE FRIEXDLY POETS 

'6. How the poem appeared before the peopl*^. 

4. General Orders No. 201 of the War Depart- 
ment. 

5. AVord study: gleaming, ramparts, rocket, 
bomb, haughty host, towering steep, fitfully blows, 
freeman, heaven-rescued, motto. 

2. Brief talk by teacher on meaning of ''national 
anthem" and a brief re-statement about the value 
of the poem to every cliild. 

Report on topics 1, 2. 3, 4. 
Discussion of the picture The Inspiration. 
Teacher, or a pupil who reads with good ex- 
pression, reads the entire poem or it may be sung 
by class. 

Discussion and interpretation of poem. Pupils 
will be expected to know the meaning of the 
words assigned. 
Teacher — Read Rupert Brooks' The Soldier or 
Bayard Taylor's Song of the Camp. 

A Patriotic Creed. 

Correlate with this the American Creed, by William 
Tyler Page. 

The Chambered Nautilus. Type : ^lajority of au- 
thorities consulted classify this as ''An Interpre- 
tation of Nature." 
Secure a picture of the nautilus, so that the pupils 

understand how the animal develops. 



METHOD OF PRESENTATION 361 

The Charge of the Light Brigade. 

Read Tennyson's Charge of the Heavy Bri- 
gade at Balaklava. Compare with our poem. 
Which do you prefer? Why? 
Secure a copy of the picture, The Charge of the 
Light Brigade. 

Concord Hymn. 

After reviewing the circumstances that led to the 
battle of Concord and reading the poem, discuss : 

1. The purpose and value of battle monu- 
ments, tablets, etc. 

2. The main thoughts of the ode: 

a That the stone may serve to keep alive 

the memory of the event. 
b That the spirit of the Minute Man will 
bid time and nature spare the monu- 
ment which has been raised. 
Read Dr. Holmes' poem Lexington. Secure pic- 
tures of The Minute Man statue, Daniel French, 
sculptor. Discuss this statue. 

The Destruction of Sennacherib. 

The first point to dwell upon is the Easterners' 
love of display. An Eastern army going forth to 
war was and still is much more of a pageant than is 
the grim khaki and gray of the armies of Euro])e and 
America. Hence we have the '* gleam and sheen" 
of the first verse — the light reflected from tlio spear 



362 THE FRIENDLY POETS 

and lance and banner. This love of bright color can 
best be visualized by means of pictures. The very 
best pictures for this purpose would be views of the 
** Durbar" or installation of George V as emperor 
of India. 

Memorization: It is suggested that verses 1-3 and 
6 be memorized. 

To a Waterfowl. 

Compare the poem with Tlie Sandpiper, 
Which do you enjoy more? 
Which is more convincing? 

Columbus. Type: Not only historical, but a study 
of character, — namely, that of Columbus. 

In a sense this poem is narrative, and is, therefore, 
readily understood by pupils. We have in their nat- 
ural order the sequence of events from the time 
Columbus leaves until America is discovered. At- 
tention should be brought to the splendid descrip- 
tion of the stormy night of October 11 as it is found 
in stanza 4. 

This poem expresses no sentimentalism. It is a 
vigorous poem, which has for its chief aim the teach- 
ing of a great moral truth — the power of persever- 
ance. It is this great moral courage that made pos- 
sible the discovery of America and made the land 
which Columbus discovered the leader of the nations. 

Much of the poem will be lost if the pupils fail 



METHOD OF PRESENTATION 363 

to appreciate the situation in which Columbus was 
placed. With but ^Hhe ghost of shores'' and '^shore- 
less seas" before him, fighting down the mutiny of 
his men and struggling against storms and ''mad 
seas," Columbus had the courage to give the direc- 
tion, "Sail on." Read to the children selections 
from the diary of Columbus. Help them to imagine 
the situation. Emphasize the mutiny, the storm, the 
calm courage of Columbus. Have them live again 
with Columbus the last long night on deck v/hen 

"Pale and worn, he kept his deck, and peered 
through darkness" 

until the early flush of day revealed a new world. 

Secure a copy of Piloty's picture, Columbus on 
the Deck of the Santa Maria. 

Cf. poem with Tennyson's Ulysses, 
Captain ! My Captain ! 

NOTE: In presenting this poem to the ehihlren for memori- 
zation the teacher must attempt to express faithfully the sen- 
timents, either of joy or sorrow, which the lines give. This 
poem requires careful coaching on the part of the teacher if 
the children are to give it with good expression. 

Read Vacliel Lindsay's poem, Abraham Lincoln 
Walkji at Midnight. 



364 THE FRIENDLY POETS 

Gettysburg Address. 

Though usually written in prose form this address 
is worthy of a place among the world's great lyrics. 
It is really a pa?an. 

Read Robert Bridge's poem. To the United States 
of America. 

Secure copy of the picture of St. Gaudens' statue 
of Lincoln. 

Ye Mariners of England. This is regarded as the 
finest sea song ever written. 
Introduction: Discuss the part played by the 
British navy during the World War. 

2. Read the poem to the class several times, striv- 
ing to call forth the fervor of spirit which gave rise 
to it. 

3. Take up study of poem by stanzas, getting out 
the theme and fine passages of each. Note that the 
1-ast four lines of each stanza is a refrain or chorus. 
Themes : 

Stanza 1. — Calls to the mariners, the defend- 
ers of the empire, to launch once more to the 
attack (war has just been declared). Get the 
sweep and melody of the refrain. Note the fine 
choice of words to carry the thought and sug- 
gest the sound. 

Stanza 2. — Ye shall not fight alone, for from 
every w^ave the spirits of your fathers and fallen 
heroes shall come to inspire you 



METHOD OF PRESENTATION 365 

Stanza 3. — Britain needs no fortresses, for the 
sea is her defense and her home. 

Stanza 4. — Declares that the flag will burn 
like a meteor till the war is fought and peace 
returns. Then, ye ocean-warriors : Our song and 
feast shall flow to the fame of your name. 

The Quality of Mercy. 

Portia's speech should be carefully explained to 
the pupils. To secure greater interest the situation 
of the story that led to the court scene should be 
explained. Discuss the problem of ^^ mercy" in terms 
of experience^ observation or knowledge from his- 
tory, etc., that children may know of. 

Child's Evening Hymn. 

As night eomes. an imaginative child might think 
o^ 

chQ quiet and rest from the day's work and 
play, 

the dangers of the dark night — the storm- 
tossed vessel with its cargo of suffering souls, 
the lost caravan wandering aimlessly in the 
dark, 

the evil that is done in the stillness of niglit — 
such as the violent acts of murderers and 
thieves. 

In this evening liymn the child asks of the 
Heavenly Father — 



366 THE FRIENDLY POETS 

His protection from the dangers and evils of the 

night, 
His loving care and guidance toAvard a noble, 
pure life. 
Spoken words cannot give us the full beauty of 
this little gem. Only the SAveet voices of little chil- 
dren, singing this beautiful hymn, can translate its 
full poAver and meaning. 

Visit from Saint Nicholas. 

Aim for a free discussion of the legendary Santa. 
Such questions as the folloAving may help : 

Why Avas everything so still? Did you notice 

the size of St. Nick, his sleigh and his reindeer? 

What do you think of the names of the reindeer? 

Why Avas everything done so quickly? Is that 

the kind of Santa you thought he Avas? 
Describe Santa after studying this poem. 

The Great, Wide, Beautiful World. 

In developing this poem Avith the young child, 
discuss the great number of natural objects and the 
huge bulk of the Avorld. Hoav far is it around the 
Avorld, hoAV high are the mountains? etc. Develop 
the number of things these objects can do — Avhat 
can the sun, the stars, the Avind^ the rain, the rivers, 
the air do? Then discuss people, particularly chil- 
dren. Hoav large is the biggest boy or girl you 
knoAv? What are some of the big things you have 
knoAvn a boy or <y\v\ to do? Can^t Ave do some 



METHOD OF PRESENTATION 367 

things, lots of things, that the world can't do? 
What are some of those things? What things does 
the poem suggest? 

Eead and discuss Emerson's Mountain and the 
Squirrel. 

The Lamplighter. 

Why is it the boy is not running about outside 
with the other boys when Leerie passes by? Have 
you ever seen a lamplighter? What kind of lights 
do you see him light? Why does he carry a ladder 
and a light? Why was the little boy lucky in hav- 
ing a light before his door? Why do you think the 
lamplighter was so popular with the little boy? Was 
it because of his way with children or because of 
his daily task? What kind of lights was Stevenson 
going to light when he grew up? 

Which Loved Best? This lyric poem is, in a sense, 
didactic. 
How can a child show his love for his parents? 
How do you show your parents that you love tliem? 
Can you do this better by saying so, or by doing 
things to help them? How do you know your 
parents love you? Did the children's mother guess, 
or did she knoAv which one loved her best? 

Seven Times One. 

Is tlie little girl happy? Why? Why is she so 
interested in the lambs, the moon, the bee, the colum- 



368 THE FRIENDLY POETS 

bine, the linnet ■ Did you notice how friendly and 
sympathetic her interest is? 

Friends. 

What do you mean by a true friend? Name some 
of your friends? Can you have friends that are not 
persons? Name some of these. Can a book be a 
friend? How can the sun, the sky, the wind be a 
friend? Have you ever felt that tliese friends were 
Avith you as you set out alone for a ramble in the 
woods? Then why are you afraid when you walk 
alone? Has this poem helped to m^ke you more 
courageous? How so? 

Twenty-third Psalm. 

Who are the sheep? Tell the duties of a shep- 
herd. Can you tell the story of David? Was God 
a good shepherd to David? Was David a faithful 
shepherd to the flock? Have you confidence in the 
Shepherd? Why? 

Selections from Hiawatha. 

To wliat kind of school did Hiawatha go? Was 
it as good a school as yours? Would you rather go 
to it than to 3^our own ? What kind of lessons did he 
have to leai'ii? Would you ratlier liave those lessons 
than the kind you have? Wliy? Who were his 
companions and playmates? Just what kind of a 
boy Avas Hiawatha? Would you like to have him 
for a playmate? 



METHOD OF PRESENTATION 369 

The One Hundred Twenty-first Psalm. 

What things give us hope and courage? In what 
way is God **a keeper''? Just how could this poem 
give courage to the wandering shepherd or the mer- 
chant of Israel who was about to set forth on a 
journey of several days? Does the poem help you? 

Miller of Dee. This lyric is, in a sense, didactic. 

As you compare the lives of a miller and a king, 
which do you imagine would be the easier, liappier, 
more useful, more satisfactory? In what ways can 
we envy others? Does this lead to happiness? Do 
you tliink the miller had reason to be happy and 
the king cause to be sad? Was Robert Louis Steven- 
son right when he wrote: 

**The world is so full of a number of things, 
I am sure we should all be as happy as kings?" 

The Sandpiper. 

From reading the poem are you led to believe 
that a storm has just passed or that a storm is about 
to break? The girl is gathering driftwood. Wliy? 
What is the sandpiper gathering? 

Read Stanza 2 carefully. Noav describe tlie day 
in your own words. 

In what ways are the girl aiul tlie sandpii)er com- 
rades? 

The last is the most bcautirul staii/a of all. l\e- 
rcad Bryant's Lines to a Walcrfoii'I. Does this 



370 THE FRIENDLY POETS 

stanza have the same message as the last verse of 
Bryant's poem? 

The American Flag'. 

In Stanza 1 we have the author's idea of the birth 
of Old Glory. Old Glory was designed by Freedom. 
Ou)^ flag is also her flag. Where did she get the ma- 
terials? What furnished the red, white and blue 
colors ? 

In the next stanza we have Old Glory streaming 
from the masthead of a battleship. Note the inspira- 
tion the flag gives to the fighting sailor. The dying 
seaman smiles contentedly^ upon the banner, because 
he knows he has given his life, not only for his coun- 
try, but for the cause of freedom. 

In the closing stanza the American Flag stands for 
the hopes and homes of all people seeking freedom. 
Heaven-born, the banner lights the vaults of Heaven 
with the light of freedom. And then, the poet asks, 
will it ever be possible for anyone to conquer America 
as long as she stands for the principles of freedom? 
What do you think of this? 

Robin Hood. 

Evidently Keats is comparing life in two periods — 
that of his own day witli the period of tlie ^^merrie 
men'' outlaws of the twelftli century. Wliich period 
does lie seem to favor? Why? AVhat are some of 
the evils of his time with which Rol)in Hood did not 
have to contend? Was Keats a nature poet (^xtoll- 



METHOD OF PRESENTATION 371 

ing the beauty of nature? Is he sincere or do you 
think he is merely taking a sarcastic fling at his own 
times ? 

Excelsior. 

Mr. Longfellow's letter explains the purpose and 
meaning of the poem, but the following questions are 
worth considering: 

Why did Longfellow select the Alps for the 
setting of the story? Why have his character 
a youth; why not a middle-aged or old man? 
Why did the youth begin his climb in the even- 
ing? Is Excelsivr a strange device? Why did 
the youth speak *'an unknown tongue''? Why 
are there no peasants at the top of the moun- 
tain? Why is the climber ^^ alone" after he 
leaves the monks? Why was the youtli ^Mjcau- 
tiful" in death? And why should a voice call 
*' Excelsior" after the youth has perished and 
failed? 

Robert of Lincoln. 

How do you account for the name ^'Robert of 
Lincoln"? 

Compare the two birds, the male and the female, 
as to dress, song characteristics. 

What causes the great change in Robert of Lin- 
coln? 

How does he act as Avinter approaches? Is he 
the same old bird of the previous spring? 



372 THE FRIENDLY POETS 

Does this poem correctly describe tlie bob-o-link? 
Has tlie poet served you by teaching you some- 
thing about one of our common American birds? 

The Inchcape Rock. 

The meaning of the story is very evident. 

What was the Abbotts motive in placing the 
bell on the rocks? What was Sir Ralph's motive 
in destroying it? Did the pirate deserve his 
fate? Why? 

Lochinvar. 

Of what famous poem is this selection a part? 
Read the poem carefully, then describe Lochinvar. 
Did Lochinvar do the right thing? Prove your case. 

Lead, Kindly Light. 

Li this poem Cardinal Newman confesses the mis- 
takes he had made and in no uncertain terms ex- 
presses his great faith in God as the director of his 
life. Did he always look to God for guidance? How 
does it happen 'Mie is far from home"? Because of 
God's guidance on this earth lie is sure of a world 
and life hereafter where he will meet again those 
dear friends whom he has missed and lost. 

The Last Leaf. 

Why don't we have criers to-day? Is it tlie fact 
that he is old that makes the man unhappy? Study 
the poem carefully. Describe the man as he must 



METHOD OF PRESENTATION 373 

have looked when a youth and then describe him 
as he looks now. Why does Holmes speak of him 
as ''the last leaf on the tree"? What does the poet 
mean by ''in the spring''? 

Burial of Sir John Moore. 

How is a military funeral generally conducted? 
In what respects was Moore's burial different? 
Why? How can you describe best the attitude of 
the soldiers? How many of you knew of the mili- 
tary fame of Sir John Moore? Which has done 
more to keep his name fresh in the minds of English- 
men — his war record or the poem by Rev. Charles 
Wolfe? 

Prospice. 

What attitude has Browning toward death? Is it 
a struggle against a stronger foe? Can it be avoided? 
Is it worth fighting against, or is it better to yield? 
In what way was Browning "ever a fighter"? Is 
death the moment when "the worst turns the , best 
to the brave"? Is death the end of everything, or 
is it the beginning of something better? 

Crossing the Bar. 

Why is the trip made at evening? Wliat is the 
"one clear call"? How could you describe tlie ves- 
sel? Where is the Pilot? How long will tlie trip 
be and how far will the wanderer go? elust wliat 
do you und(M'Stand l)y "tlie l)ar"? Conipmn^ tlie 



374 THE FRIENDLY POETS 

spirit of this poem with Browning's Prospice. Which 
poem do you like better? Why? 

What the Sliepherd is to David in his beautiful 
psalm such is the Pilot to Tennyson. The Pilot and 
the Shepherd perform a service of love, through the 
evils and dangers of life. They serve as a staunch 
protector of the weak against the str(Dng, and in the 
hours of doubt and uncertainty they are, like Car- 
dinal Newman's ''Kindly Light," a safe guide, lead- 
ing w^eary pilgrims to a haven of rest. 

My Heart's in the Highlands. 

Where does the Bible tell us our heart is? Does 
that explain why Burns' heart is in the Highlands? 
Is it natural for a man's heart to be bound forever 
to his country? AVhat does Burns find to love in the 
Highlands? Was Burns a lover of Nature and out- 
door life? Can you tell something about Burns' 
nature poems? 

Nathan Hale. This lyric has some of the elements 
of tlie elegy. 

Read the story of Nathan Hale. Does the poet 
give a correct picture of the capture of Hale? For 
w^liat is Hale to l)e honored — his mission, or the man- 
nei' of his death? After reading the poem do you 
have greater resentment toward the British or 
greater respect for Hale? 

Secure copy of the picture of Nathan Hale statue 
at City Hall Park, New York. Discuss this picture. 



METHOD OF PRESENTATION 375 

The Sea. 

What is your own attitude in regard to the sea: 
do you fear it^ or feel ^^at home" on it? Would 
you like to spend all your life on the sea ? Have you 
ever been aboard ship during a heavy storm? Has 
the poet given an accurate picture of a storm at sea? 
Does the poem suggest any possible reason for the 
poet's love of the sea? 

Breathes There the Man. 

Have you ever felt rise within you a great love 
for your country? What caused it? Why? 

Can you think of a man who does not love his 
country? 

Has your history told you of any man who thought 
of his own gain first and was disloyal to his country ? 
What happened to him? 

Discuss or read Man WitTiottt a Country, Read the 
account of the death of Benedict Arnold. 

Opportunity. 

l>oth the craven and the Prince had tlie same 
sword to use. Why did the one use it wliile tlie other 
tlirew it away in disgust? AVhicli is better--a fine 
sword or a spirit like tlie Prince's? Do you know 
of anyone wlio used an opportunity that someone 
else had thrown away. 

To the teacher — Prove the point of the poem by 
historical and biographical refei'ences. The story of 
1h(» Pniiama Canal furnishes material. 



376 THE FRIENDLY POETS 

Auld Lang Syne. 

Shouldn't we keep sacred and fresh the memory 
of the good days of the past? Why not reminisce 
and then celebrate with a little party? A story of 
the past, a song, a clasp of the hand — those things 
make the past live forever and help make life worth 
whilCo 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES 



Addison, Joseph — Noted chiefly as English Essayist. Born in 
Wiltshire May 1, 1672 ; died June 17, 1719. Wrote some 
good poetry, but did his best work as critic and essay 
, writer. 

Alexander, Mrs. Cecil — Born in Ireland in 1830 (Cecil 
Frances Humphreys). Married Eev. Wm. Alexander, later 
Bishop of Derry. Author of many hymns and poems on 
Biblical subjects. Won recognition by her Burial of 
Moses. Died October 12, 1898. 

Baring-Gould, Sabine — An English clergyman, born in 1834, 
He was the author of various hymns, as Onward, Christian 
Soldiers; wrote several works of fiction; and was an 
authority on old-time superstitions and beliefs. 

Brown, Abbie Farwell — A native and a resident of Boston, 
is a frequent contributor to magazines, Avriting especially 
juvenile poems and stories. She has also written the 
librettos of several comic operas. Several volumes of her 
poems and stories have been published, as A Boole of Saints 
and Friendly Beasts, and A PocJcetful of Posies. 

Browning, Robert — Born May 7, 1812, at Camberwell, Eng- 
land. Devoted himself wholly to literature, particularly 
poetry. Spent much of his life in Italy, where he died 
in 1889. Most of his poems are meant for adult readers. 

Bryant, William Cullen — Born at Cumniington, :\[ass., 1794, 
died in New York C^ity 1878. Practiced law for nine years, 
then devoted remainder of his life to work as author and 
editor of New York Evening Post. 

377 



378 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES 

Burns, Robert — The son of a poor farmer, Burns was born in 
Ayrshire, Scotland, in 1759. He had little schooling, but 
early began to write songs of country life, which proved 
his genius, and attracted much attention. He was always 
poor, however, and died at the age of thirty-seven, having 
written Tarn O'Shanter, To a Mouse, The Cotter's Satur- 
day Night, and many other j^oenis which are unexcelled in 
Scotch literature. 

Byron, George Gordon (Lord) — Born in London, January 22, 
1788, died of fever at Missolonghi, Greece, April 19, 
1824, while helping Greeks free themselves from the 
Turks. Spent his time in travel and in writing. Though 
he lived but a short time, upon his death he was acknowl- 
edged to be one of Europe's most famous authors. 

Campbell, Thomas — Born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1777. Edu- 
cated for ministry — attained distinction of being three 
times Eector of the University of Glasgow. His war odes 
won for him a place in the literary world. Died 1844. 

Gary, Phebe — Born near Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1824. In 1850, 
she and her sister, Alice, came to New York t^ make 
their living as writers. Both were already known to the 
literary world, and both were recognized before their early 
death as among the leading women poets of the country. 
The two sisters are always mentioned almost as one. They 
lived together, worked together, their poems arc always 
published together, and when Alice died, Phoebe soon fol- 
lowed her. She died in Rhode Island, in 1871. 

Child, Lydia M. — Noted as an American prose-writer. Born 
February 11, 1802, at Medford, Ma^. She w^as an ardent 
Abolitionist and wrote the first book on that subject, 
Appeal for that class of Americans called Africans. Died 
in Wayland, Mass., in 1880. 

Cragin, Mary Randle Wtllard (Mrs. E. B.), is better known, 
perhaps, by her pseudonym of Joy Allison. Born in Wil- 
limantic, Conn., in 1864, she is now resident in New York. 

Drake, Joseph Rodman — Born in New York City, in 1795, 
and died in 1820, of consumption. He was only twenty- 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES 379 

one when he wrote The Culprit Fay to prove what he 
had said in conversation, that the rivers of America had 
as great poetic possibilities as those of Scotland. Much 
of Drake's poetry was written in collaboration with Fitz- 
Greene Halleck. 

Edwards, Matilda B. — Born in Suffolk, England, in 1836. 
Educated at home, traveled extensively. After her first 
successful novel, at age of nineteen, settled down to a 
.literary life. Had a great interest in France and the 
French. Died 1919. 

Emerson, Ealph Waldo — Born in Boston, May 25, 1803; died 
April 27, 1882, at Concord, then acknowledged the literary 
center of America. After giving a few years to the min- 
istry, he devoted the remainder of his time to lecturing, 
writing and philosophy. He made three trips abroad. His 
literary works are of two classes — essays and poems. He 
is recognized as one of the best American essayists and 
thinkers. 

Field, Eugene — Noted chiefly as an American journalist, born 
in St. Louis, September 2, 1850. His poems and tales 
in the press soon won him a high reputation in the West. 
At his death in Chicago, November 4, 1895, he was a 
national figure. 

Finch, Francis Miles — Born in Ithaca, N. Y., June 9, 1827. 
Studied law, finally achieving distinction as judge of the 
United States District Court. His The Blue and the Gray 
won him a place in American literature. Died in 1907. 

Foster, Stephen Collins — Born in 1826, near Pittsburg, Pa. 
He is known as the author of over one hundred and sixty 
songs, such as Nelly Bly, Old Blach Joe, Come Where My 
Love Lies Dreaming , Old Folios at Ilome. His first pub- 
lished song, Ope7i Thy Lattice, Love, appeared when he 
was only sixteen. In 1864, he died in New York City. 

Galbraith, Lt. Col. William Campbell — Born at Campbell - 
town, England, February 11, 1S70. Though professionally 
a soldi(M-, he lins conlributed nianv niilitaiv articles and 



380 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES 

poems to the press. He served in the Great War and v 
now Director of Admiralty Housing. 

Guest, Edgar A. — Born at Birmingham, England, August 20, 
1881. Came to America in 1891, educated here for jour- 
nalism. Connected with Detroit Free Press. Contributes 
verses and humorous sketches. 

Holmes, Oliver Wendell — Born in Cambridge, Mass., August 
29, 1809, and died in Boston in 1894. Graduated from 
Harvard in 1829; for thirty-five years served as professor 
of anatomy and physiology. As a man of letters he gained 
fame as poet, humorist, wit, essayist and novelist. 

Ingelow, Jean — Born in England in 1820. She wrote many 
poems and stories, the best known being her Songs of 
Seven and the Higlt Tide on the Coast of Lincolnshire. 
Died in 1897. 

Jackson, Helen Hunt — Bom at Amherst, Mass., 1831 
(daughter of Professor W. W. Fiske of Amherst), mar- 
ried Captain Hunt, an army engineer. After his death she 
married W. S. Jackson of Colorado Springs. Besides her 
poems she gained distinction as a novelist, her greatest 
achievement being Eamona, She died in 1885. 

Keats, John — Born in London, England, in 1795. At fifteen 
he was apprenticed to a surgeon, but gave more attention 
to poetry than to surgery, and when his five-years' appren- 
ticeship ended, he gave up the profession entirely. He 
died of consumption in Rome, in the year 1821, his poems 
Tlie Eve of St. Agnes y Hyperion, Lamia, Endymion, The 
Pot of Basil, and others, having already classed him with 
the greatest poets of his time. 

Key, Francis Scott — Born in Frederick County, Maryland, in 
1779, practiced law in Washington, D. C. Upon his death 
in 1843, his miscellaneous poems were collected and pub- 
lished. The Star Spangled Banner is the only one of im- 
portance. 

Kingsley, Charles — Born in Devonshire, England, June 18, 
1819. Educated for ministry, served as Rector at Eversley 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES 381 

from 1844 until his death in 1875. He is best known as a 
novelist, having written but little poetry. 

Kipling, Rudyard — Born at Bombay, India, of English parents, 
December 30, 1865. Educated at United Service College; 
traveled in Asia, Australia, and Africa; lived for some time 
in the United States, where he married Miss Balestier, an 
American. He is now living in London; has achieved 
world-wide fame as prose and verse writer. 

Larcom, Lucy — Born in 1826, at Beverly, Mass. She was for 
some years a mill-girl in Lowell, where she edited the mill- 
girls ' paper. The Lowell Offering. She has written many 
poems, as Hannah Binding Shoes and By the Fireside, and 
a number for children, as The Brown Thrush and Bun, 
Little Eivulet, Bun. She died in Boston, in 1893. 

Lincoln, Abraham — Born February 12, 1809, in Kentucky, 
assassinated at Washington, D. C, April 14, 1865. Known 
as American statesman and President during the Civil War. 
With the exception of addresses and speeches he contributed 
but little to American literature. 

Longfellow, Henry W. — Born at Portland, Maine, February 
27, 1807. Until 1854 he spent his time in study and then 
teaching at Bowdoin and Harvard. From 1854 until his 
death in 1882 he spent his time at literary work, writing 
both prose and verse. He is, without doubt, the most widely 
read American poet. 

Lowell, James Eussell — Born in Cambridge, Mass., February 
22, 1819, at Elmwood, which was his lifelong home, and 
where he died in 1891. Though he prepared for the law, 
he never practiced; for he immediately devoted himself to 
literature. For twenty years he was professor of nu)dorii 
languages at Harvard. As an editor he did splendid work 
on Atlantic Monthly and North American Review, lie 
served his country as Minister to Spain and England. 
Lowell was one of America's grealcsl lit(>rnry ciitics and 
scholars. 



382 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES 

McCrae, John D. — A physician of Montreal, was made a Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel in the Canadian Army. He died while 
on hospital service, January 28, 1918. In Flanders Fields 
was written April, 1915, during the second battle of Ypres. 

Mackay, Charles — Born in 1814, in Scotland. He was a jour- 
nalist and compiler of books, but wrote much in both prose 
and poetry, his best-known poems being probably There's 
a Good Time Coming and Old Tubal Cain. Died in 1889. 

Mason, Caroline Atherton (Briggs) — A noted American 
verse-writer, was born in Marblehead, Mass., July 27, 1823. 
Died in 1889. 

Miller, Joaquin — (His real name is Cincinnatus Hiner Miller). 
Born in Indiana in 1841, has spent most of his time in 
West and Nicaragua. Has written both prose and poetry. 

MooRE, Clement C. — Born in New York City in 1779, and 
died in New^Dort, E. I., in 1863. He was a Professor of 
Theology, and compiled the first Hebrew-English lexicon 
of this country. He is remembered, however, not by this 
work, which took years to accomplish, but by the jingling 
Christmas verse which he wrote one day to amuse his 
children. 

Morris, George Pope — Born in Philadelphia, October 10, 1802, 
died in New York City, July 6, 1864. Established a repu- 
tation as an American journalist. With Samuel Wood- 
worth, author of Old Oaken Bucket, founded The New 
York Mirror, in 1823. 

Newman, John Henry — Born in England in 1801. He became 
first a clergyman in the Church of England, but later 
joined the Roman Catholic Church, and was made a Car- 
dinal some years before his death in 1890. He wrote 
a number of hymns which have been collected in Lyra 
Apostolica; he was a powerful speaker and writer; and 
his autobiography, Apologia Pro Vita Sua, is of unusual 
interest. 

Oxenham, John — A successful English novelist. Early life 
devoted to successful l)usiness career. Traveled extensively 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES 383 

on Continent and America, spending some time in United 
States. Early writings done because of pleasure in writing, 
later gave up business to be an author. 

Procter, Bryan Waller (Barry Cornwall) — Born in Eng- 
land in 1787. He was a lawyer, but wrote several biog- 
raphies, and a number of poems, as A Petition to Time, 
The Flood of Thessaly, and his best-known The Sea. He 
died in 1874. 

Eands, William Brighty — Born in England, in 1827. He 
wrote much, under the pseudonyms of Matthew Browne 
and Henry Holbeach, but is best known by his Lilliput 
Lectures and other books for children, written under the 
name of Lilliput Levee. He died in 1882. 

Bead, Thomas Buchanan — Born in Chester County, Pa., March 
12, 1822. His chief interest in life was portrait painting, 
but he did not do anything of merit in this. He is re- 
membered, however, for his few contributions to American 
literature. Died in New York City, May 11, 1872. 

Riley, James Whitcomb — Born in Greenfield, Indiana, in 1853. 
His contributions to periodicals and newspapers gained 
public favor in 1875. From then until his death in 1917 
he devoted his time to poetry, lecturing and public read- 
ings. 

Shakespeare, William — Born at Stratford-on-Avon, England, 
April 23, 1564, and died there April 23, 1616. While em- 
ployed about the playhouses of London he wrote his fam- 
ous plays, at times taking some of the parts. In these 
plays are to be found his best poems. His name holds 
first place in English literature. 

Shaw, D. T. — Little authentic information can be given of 
Shaw. It is possible that liis liome was in Philadelphia 
and that he was interested in the stage. 

Shelley, Percy Bysshe — Born in TTorsham, England, August 
4, 1792. While at Oxford University he wrote several 
poems, some of which were published later. Shellev led 



384 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES 

a roaming life, visiting Europe several times. While boat- 
ing in Italy in 1821 he was drowned. 

Sherman, F. D.— Born at Peekskill, X. Y., in 1860. He at- 
tended the school of Architecture at Columbia University. 
He finally became Professor in this school. He has written 
considerable light verse which has attracted public notice. 

Sill, Edward Eowlaxd — Poet, professor, editor, was born at 
Windsor, Conn., in 1841, and died in 1887, at Cleveland, 
Ohio. Among his best poems are The FooVs Prayer and 
Opportunity. 

Smith, Samuel Francis — Born in Boston in 1808. Graduated 
from Harvard, entered the ministry. He was the editor 
of several religious publications and noted for his hymn 
writing. During the year of his death, 1895, his numerous 
poems and hymns were collected and published. 

SouTHEY, Egbert — Born at Bristol, England, in 1774. He 
tried to study both medicine and law, but gave up both 
for a life of authorship of most intense activity. The list 
of his writings amounts to one hundred and nine volumes, 
including much history and biography, especially a Life 
of Nelson, and many poems, as Joan of Arc, Eoderwl-, The 
Last of the Goths, and After Blenheim. In 1813 he was 
made Poet Laureate of England, and in 1843 he died. 

Stevenson, Egbert Louis — Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, No- 
vember 13, 1850. After studying for the law, he traveled 
extensively because of his delicate health, writing verse 
and prose. He made two visits to the United States. 
Finally he went to Samoan Islands, where he died, Decem- 
ber 3, 1894. 

Taylor, Jane — An English writer for the young, was born in 
London in 1783. Several volumes of her poems were pub- 
lished in America. She died in London in 1824. 

Tennyson, Alfred (Lord) — Born August 6, 1809, at Somers- 
by, England. Educated at Cambridge University. Ho 
devoted his entire life to poetry. In 1850 he was ap- 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES 385 

pointed Poet Laureate, and was again honored in 1883 by 
being raised to the Peerage. He died October 6, 1892, 
and was buried in Westminster Abbey. He was recognized 
as England 's leading poet, for half a century. 

Thaxter (Mrs.) Celia (Laighton) — Born in Portsmouth, 
N. H., June 20, 1836. Most of her life was spent in 
literary work at the Isles of fShoals. She died at Apple- 
dore. Isle of Shoals, August 26, 1894. Her poems deal 
chiefly with nature and the sea. 

Watts, Isaac — Born in Southampton, England, July 17, 1674. 
Most of his time was spent in and about London as a 
clergyman. He gained considerable attention as a writer 
of hymns and moral songs for children. He died in 1748. 

Whitman, Walt — Born at West Hills, Long Island, May 31, 
1819. Had little schooling and until the Civil War he 
earned his living as a laborer and mechanic. During the 
war he served as a nurse. His strange and unusual poetry 
had won him recognition, but his Captain, My Captain, 
made him a national figure. He died in Camden, New Jer- 
sey, in 1892. 

Whittier, John Greenleaf — Born at Haverhill, Mass., De- 
cember 17, 1807. Died September 7, 1892. Whittier had 
a limited education and spent most of his time in the 
country. For three years he was interested in journalism, 
but soon gave this up, retiring to Danvers, Mass., where 
he spent the last fifty years of his life. Whittier 's poetry 
centers about country life, nature and the abolition of 
slavery. 

Wolfe, Charles — Born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1791, and died 
at the age of thirty. He was a clergyman, and wrote 
occasional poetry, but nothing worth remembering except 
TJie Burial of Sir John Moore, 

WOODWORTH, Samuel — An American journalist, ]u)rn in 
Scituate, Mass., January 13, 1785. lie was tlie editor and 
founder of several joui-nals and magazin(^s and wrote a two- 
volume history of the War of IS 12. He wrote many {)oeins, 



386 BIOGRAPHICAL XOTES 

but is remembered only because of The Old Oaken Bucket. 
Died in New York in 1842. 

Wordsworth, William: — Born in Cumberland, England, April 
7, 1770. Though trained for law, Wordsworth devoted his 
life to literature. He traveled extensively through Scot- 
land, England and Europe. In 1843 he was appointed Poet 
Laureate, a position he held until his death, April 23, 1850. 



INDEX 



All Things Bright and Beau- 
tiful, 22 
America, 18 

American Flag, The, 252 
Arrow and the Song, The, 44 
Auld Lang Syne, 323 

Barefoot Boy, The, 21 
Biographical Notes, 377 
Blow, Blow, Thou Winter 

Wind, 32 
Blue and the Gray, The, 109 
Break, Break, Break, 264 
Breathes There a Man, 318 
Bugle Song, 87 
Burial of Sir John Moore, 294 

Chambered Nautilus, The, 147 
Charge of the Light Brigade, 

The, 151 
Child ^s Evening Hymn, 213 
.Child's Prayer, A, 29 
Children's Hour, The, G6 
Christmas Carol, A, 76 
Cloud, The, 103 
Columbus, A Tribute to, 175 
Concord Hymn, 158 
Crossing the Bmt, 302 



Daffodils, 206 

Daisies, 28 

Days of the Month, 13 

Destruction of Sennacherib, 

The, 161 
Don't Give Up, 40 
Dutch Lullaby, 15 

En Voyage, 47 
Excelsior, 259 

Farewell, A, 101 

Farewell to All My Greatness, 

297 
First Snowfall, The, 73 
Four Winds, The, 35 
Friends, 231 

Gettysburg Address, The, 185 

Hiawatha's Childhood, 237 
How Doth the Little Busy 
Bee, 95 



Lift Up Mine Eyes, 



I Will 

242 
In Flauders Fields, 193 
In Flanders Fields (An An 

swer), 197 



387 



388 



INDEX 



Inchcape Eock, The, 275 
Incident of the French Camp, 

An, 83 
Introductory Note, iii 

Lamplighter, The, 221 
Last Leaf, The, 289 
Lead, Kindly Light, 287 
Lochinvar, 280 

Lord Is My Shepherd, The, 
233 

Mercy, 202 

Method of Presentation, 337 

Miller of Dee, The, 244 

]Mother Thought, A, 97 

Musical Note, A, 329 

My Heart 's in the Highlands, 

305 
My Old Kentucky Home, 315 

Nathan Hale, 307 

O Captain, My Captain, 181 
O Columbia, the Gem of the 

Ocean, 67 
October's Bright Blue 

Weather, 54 
Old Folks at Home, The, 284 
Old Ironsides, 50 
Old Oaken Bucket, The, 118 
Opportunity, 321 

Part I, 1 
Part II, 81 



Part III, 211 
Patriotic Creed, A, 143 
Pictures, Suggestions for, 335 
Poetry, The Field and Mean- 
ing of, V 
Promoted, 199 
Prospice, 300 

Recessional, iro 
Kobert of Lincoln, 266 
Eobin Hood, 255 

Sandpiper, The, 248 
Sands of Dee, The, 272 
Sea, The, 312 
Seven Times One, 228 
Sheridan's Eide, 87 
Singing, 12 
Skylark, To a, 128 
Song, A, 70 

Spacious Firmament, The, 115 
Spring, 9 

Star-Spangled Banner, The, 
136 

Teachers, Suggestions to, 337 
Thanksgiving Day, 25 
Three Bells, The, 122 
Tiny Little Snowfiake, 7 
To-night, 141 

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, 
2 

Under the Greenwood Tree, 38 



INDEX 389 

Violet, The, 125 AVind, The, 5 

Visit from St. Nicholas, A, Wolsey's Soliloquy, 297 
215 Wondeif al World, The, 218 

Woodman, Spare that Tree, 58 
Waterfowl, To a, 166 
Which Loved Best, 223 Ye Mariners of England, 189 



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